Susceptibility of peritoneal macrophage from different species of neotropical primates to Ex vivo Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi-infection

Abstract

<jats:p>This study examined the susceptibility of peritoneal macrophage (PM) from the Neotropical primates: Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix penicillata, Saimiri sciureus, Aotus azarae infulatus and Callimico goeldii to ex vivo Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi-infection, the etiological agent of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL), as a screening assay for evaluating the potential of these non-human primates as experimental models for studying AVL. The PM-susceptibility to infection was accessed by the PM-infection index (PMI) at 24, 72 h and by the mean of these rates (FPMI), as well as by the TNF-α, IL-12 (Capture ELISA) and Nitric oxide (NO) responses (Griess method). At 24h, the PMI of A. azarae infulatus (128) was higher than those of C. penicillata (83), C. goeldii (78), S. sciureus (77) and C. jacchus (55). At 72h, there was a significant PMI decrease in four monkeys: A. azarae infulatus (128/37), C. penicillata (83/38), S. sciureus (77/38) and C. jacchus (55/12), with exception of C. goeldii (78/54). The FPMI of A. azarae infulatus (82.5) and C. goeldii (66) were higher than C. jacchus (33.5), but not higher than those of C. penicillata (60.5) and S. sciureus (57.5). The TNF-a response was more regular in those four primates which decreased their PMI at 24/72 h: C. jacchus (145/122 pg/mL), C. penicillata (154/130 pg/mL), S. sciureus (164/104 pg/mL) and A. azarae infulatus (154/104 pg/mL), with exception of C. goeldii (38/83 pg/mL). The IL-12 response was mainly prominent in A. infulatus and C. goeldii which presented the highest FPMI and, the NO response was higher in C. goeldii, mainly at 72 h. These findings strongly suggest that these New World primates have developed a resistant innate immune response mechanism capable of controlling the macrophage intracellular growth of L. (L.) i. chagasi-infection, which do not encourage their use as animal model for studying AVL.</jats:p>

Serological Evidence of Infection byLeishmania (Leishmania) infantum(Synonym:Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi) in Free-Ranging Wild Mammals in a Nonendemic Region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

“…(Marsden et al 1981, Dietze et al 1985. However, according to Carneiro et al (2012), they are considered inadequate biological models for the study of VL, because they are able to inhibit experimental infections by L. (L.) infantum. The orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine (S. villosus) belongs to the Family Erethizontidae, the same family of Rothschild's porcupine (Coendou rothschildi), species to which natural infections by another Leishmania species, L. (L.) hertigi (Herrer 1971), have been attributed, including in Brazil (Silva et al 2013).…”

Nonhuman Primates

“…Aotus griseimembra is highly susceptible to Plasmodium falciparum; A. nancymaae is less susceptible to some strains and resistant to others (Schmidt, 1978). Owl monkeys have also served as a model for cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (Chapman et al, 1981;Broderson et al, 1986), although a more recent study suggests that owl monkeys have developed resistance against Leishmania infantum chagasi via innate immune response mechnanisms which may limit its use with this pathogen (Carneiro et al, 2012). are susceptible to P. vivax (Schmidt, 1978).…”

First report of Leishmania infantum infection in the endangered orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in Madrid, Spain

“…As indicated in a study conducted by Carneiro et al [ 21 ], these infected primates were clinically healthy. Carneiro et al hypothesized that New World primates have developed an innate immune response mechanism capable of controlling macrophage intracellular growth of L. infantum [ 21 ]. However, several field studies have confirmed a high susceptibility to Leishmania spp.…”