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Leishmania infantum Infection of Primary Human Myeloid Cells

Morgane Picard1, Calaiselvy Soundaramourty1, Ricardo Silvestre2,3

  • 1Faculty of Science, Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1124, F-75006 Paris, France.

Microorganisms
|June 24, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals that Leishmania infantum primarily infects classical and intermediate monocytes in human whole blood. A novel no-lyse, no-wash flow cytometry assay simplifies studying these host-pathogen interactions.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Phagocytic cells are common targets for pathogens like Leishmania.
  • Isolating primary human cells for infection studies is time-consuming and can alter cell characteristics.
  • Efficient methods are needed to study host-pathogen interactions in primary human cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To monitor Leishmania infantum infection in primary human cells using whole blood.
  • To characterize the specific cell types infected by L. infantum in an infectious context.
  • To evaluate a novel no-lyse and no-wash (NoNo) flow cytometric assay for studying host-leishmania interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a no-lyse and no-wash (NoNo) flow cytometric assay.
  • Employed fluorescent Leishmania infantum parasites to track infection.
  • Analyzed infection patterns in whole blood, focusing on monocyte and neutrophil populations.

Main Results:

  • Leishmania infantum preferentially infects classical (CD14+CD16-) and intermediate (CD14+CD16+) monocytes in whole blood.
  • Classical monocytes, being the predominant population, constitute the main reservoir for L. infantum.
  • A subset of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) is also infected early, but at lower levels compared to classical monocytes.

Conclusions:

  • The NoNo assay provides a simplified and effective method for studying Leishmania infection in primary human cells.
  • Classical monocytes are the primary cellular target and reservoir for Leishmania infantum in whole blood.
  • The study offers new insights into the early interactions between Leishmania parasites and human immune cells.
Keywords:
Leishmaniabloodflow cytometrymonocyteneutrophil

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