Insights into the Genetic Diversity of Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis in Panama, Inferred via Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST)

Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by parasites of the genus Leishmania and transmitted by sand fly vectors. Tegumentary leishmaniasis is the most prevalent clinical outcome in Latin America, afflicting people from 18 countries. In Panama, the annual incidence rate of leishmaniasis is as high as 3000 cases, representing a major public health problem. In endemic regions, L. panamensis is responsible for almost eighty percent of human cases that present different clinical outcomes. These differences in disease outcomes could be the result of the local interplay between L. panamensis variants and human hosts with different genetic backgrounds. The genetic diversity of L. panamensis in Panama has only been partially explored, and the variability reported for this species is based on few studies restricted to small populations and/or with poor resolutive markers at low taxonomic levels. Accordingly, in this study, we explored the genetic diversity of sixty-nine L. panamensis isolates from different endemic regions of Panama, using an MLST approach based on four housekeeping genes (Aconitase, ALAT, GPI and HSP70). Two to seven haplotypes per locus were identified, and regional differences in the genetic diversity of L. panamensis were observed. A genotype analysis evidenced the circulation of thirteen L. panamensis genotypes, a fact that might have important implications for the local control of the disease.