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Updated: Dec 30, 2025
In vivo Imaging of Transgenic Leishmania Parasites in a Live Host
Published on: July 27, 2010
Visualization of Leishmania tropica Infection in BALB/c Mice by Bioluminescence Imaging
Mahdieh Eskandar1, Elham Gholami1, Negar Seyed1
1Department of Immunotherapy and Leishmania Vaccine Research, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
Leishmania tropica is the cause of more than one form of leishmaniasis and lacks a known reservoir animal. This study compares the potential infectivity of recombinant and wild-type L. tropica in BALB/c mice.
Methods:
The potential infectivity of recombinant L. tropicaEGFP or L. tropicaEGFP-LUC by two different, the subcutaneous and intradermal, routes was compared using a range of classical detection methods and bioluminescence imaging (BLI).
Results:
In addition to the results obtained from classical diagnostic approaches, the BLI signals were detected in footpads and ears of L. tropica-infected animals. The BLI revealed that a bioluminescence signal can be observed at the inoculation site. The stability of the BLI remained constant in the footpad, but the signal was detectable for only three months in the pinna due to the decline in infection over time.
Conclusion:
The presented data are a precise verification of the assumption that BALB/c mice could be used as an experimental model for L. tropica infectivity.
