Emerging hybrid uncovers cryptic Leishmania lineage diversity in the Neotropics

We discovered a hybrid Leishmania parasite in Costa Rica that is genetically similar to hybrids from Panama. Genome analyses show that the hybrid is triploid and identify L. braziliensis and L. guyanensis related strains as parents. Our findings highlight the existence of poorly sampled Leishmania (Viannia) variants infectious to humans.