Antimony resistance associated with persistence of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum infection in macrophages.

Parasitology research 2021 Aug

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Visceral leishmaniasis is a severe disease caused by protozoan para sites that include Leishmania (L.) infantum. The disease is established when parasites subvert the immune response of the host. Notably, chemotherapy-based use of antimonial compounds can partially alleviate disease burden. Unfortunately, the resistance to drug treatments is increasing in areas endemic to the disease. In this report, we investigated immune responses within macrophages infected with antimony-resistant L. infantum isolates from patients with a relapse in the disease. Results revealed that antimony-resistant parasites persist in the first 24 h of infection. Activation of macrophage or blocking of thiol production during infection shows enhanced clearance of parasites, which is coordinately associated with increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Taken together, these results suggest that the mechanism of antimony resistance in L. infantum isolates may be related to a decrease in macrophage microbicidal functions. © 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Citation

Lucas Sousa Magalhães, Lays Gisele Santos Bomfim, Camilla Natália Oliveira Santos, Priscila Lima Dos Santos, Diego Moura Tanajura, Michael Wheeler Lipscomb, Amélia Ribeiro de Jesus, Roque Pacheco de Almeida, Tatiana Rodrigues de Moura. Antimony resistance associated with persistence of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum infection in macrophages. Parasitology research. 2021 Aug;120(8):2959-2964