Comparative_genomics_of_canine_isolated_L___Leishmania__amazonensis_from_an_endemic_focus_of_visceral_leishmaniasis_in_Governador_Valadares__southeastern_Brazil. Comparative_genomics_of_canine_isolated_L___Leishmania__amazonensis_from_an_endemic_focus_of_visceral_leishmaniasis_in_Governador_Valadares__southeastern_Brazil

Leishmaniasis is a highly diverse group of diseases caused by kinetoplastid parasites of the genus Leishmania. These parasites are both taxonomically diverse, with human pathogenic species separated into two subgenera according to their development site inside the alimentary tract of the sand fly and clinically diverse with both tegumentary or visceral symptoms. Among the causative species in Brazil, Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis is an important etiological agent of human cutaneous leishmaniasis that accounts for more than 8% of all cases in endemic regions. L. (L.) amazonensis is generally found in the north and northeast regions of Brazil. Here, we report the first isolation of L. (L.) amazonensis from dogs with clinical manifestations of visceral leishmaniasis in Governador Valadares, an endemic focus in the southeastern Brazilian State of Minas Gerais where Leishmania infantum is also endemic. These isolates were characterized in terms of SNPs, chromosome and gene copy number variations, confirming that the L. (L.) amazonensis isolates are closely related to a previously sequenced isolate obtained in 1973 from the typical Northern range of this species. The results presented in this article will increase our knowledge of L. (L.) amazonensis-specific adaptations to infection, parasite survival and the transmission of this Amazonian species in a new endemic area of Brazil. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/