Leishmania rna virus (LRV) positivity research in Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica isolates which isolated from cutaneous leishmaniasis patients in Turkey

Objective: Leishmania RNA virus (LRV) which is a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus situated in Leishmania species thought to contribute to the destructive inflammatory response of the causative Leishmania parasite in the mammalian host. In our study, it was aimed to contribute to future studies by obtaining data on the presence of LRV, which is thought to cause a change in the clinical course of leishmaniasis. Materials and Methods: Genotyped Leishmania spp. isolated from CL patients in Turkey and preserved in Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine Parasite Bank. The isolates were thawed and inoculated on NNN and RPMI-1640 media and entered into the logarithmic phase in an incubator at 26 ºC. After DNA isolation, 10 L. major and 10 L. tropica isolates were genotyped with real-time PCR and were included in the study. After RNA isolation from promastigote suspension, cDNA synthesis was performed by reverse transcription. dsRNA band formation was evaluated in terms of LRV positivity under UV light by gel electrophoresis of PCR amplification products. Results: Twenty Leishmania spp. samples (10 L. major and 10 L. tropica) imaged by gel electrophoresis method. LRV positivity was detected in 4 (1 L. major and 3 L. tropica) of these samples. Conclusions: Although the mechanism of LRV, which has been discovered in recent studies, is not fully understood, it is known that it aggravates the clinic of the disease and even has an effect on the drug resistance of the parasite. Obtaining data on the existence of LRV in our country is important in terms of contributing to various clinical, drug development, prevalence studies, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Keywords: Leishmania RNA Virus (LRV), Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica, Turkey.