First report of putative Leishmania RNA virus 2 (LRV2) in Leishmania infantum strains from canine and human visceral leishmaniasis cases in the Southeast of Brazil

Abstract

Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV1) is commonly found in South American Leishmania parasites belonging to the subgenus Viannia, whereas Leishmania RNA virus 2 (LRV2) was previously thought to be restricted to the Old-World pathogens of the subgenus Leishmania. In this study, we investigated the presence of LRV2 in strains of Leishmania (L.) infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), originating from different hosts, clinical forms, and geographical regions. A total of seventy-one isolates were examined for LRV2, and two isolates, obtained from canine (CUR268) and human (HP-EMO) cases in southeastern Brazil, tested positive for the virus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detection of LRV2 in the New World.