DNA damage in BALB/c mice infected with Lacazia loboi and its relation to nutritional status

AbstractBackground Jorge Lobo’s disease, also known as lacaziosis, is a cutaneous-subcutaneous mycosis with chronic evolution. It is caused by the fungus Lacazia loboi. Herein we report a study that relates the genotoxicity caused by L. loboi in isogenic mice with nutritional status, through a normal or restricted diet.Methods DNA damage was assessed in the peripheral blood by the comet assay (tail intensity).Results The results for leukocytes showed increases in the mean tail intensity in mice under dietary restriction, in infected mice under dietary restriction and in infected mice ingesting a normal diet.Conclusion These results indicate that dietary restriction and L. loboi infection may increase DNA damage levels in mice, as detected by the comet assay.

背景：洛博病（Jorge Lobo’s disease）又称拉科扎菌病（lacaziosis），是一种慢性进展性皮肤皮下真菌病，由洛博芽生菌（Lacazia loboi）引起。本研究旨在探讨饮食正常或受限的同基因小鼠中，洛博芽生菌感染所致的遗传毒性与营养状态的关联。方法：采用彗星实验（comet assay，尾强度）对外周血白细胞的DNA损伤进行评估。结果：白细胞检测结果显示，饮食受限小鼠、饮食受限的感染小鼠以及正常饮食的感染小鼠的平均尾强度均出现升高。结论：本研究结果表明，经彗星实验检测证实，饮食限制与洛博芽生菌感染可能会升高小鼠体内的DNA损伤水平。