''Leishmaniavirus'' (also known as ''Leishmania'' RNA virus or LRV) is a genus of

double-stranded RNA virus Double-stranded RNA viruses (dsRNA viruses) are a polyphyletic group of viruses that have double-stranded genomes made of ribonucleic acid. The double-stranded genome is used to transcribe a positive-strand RNA by the viral RNA-dependent RNA ...

, in the family ''

Totiviridae ''Totiviridae'' is a family of double-stranded RNA viruses. Giardia lamblia, leishmania, trichomonas vaginalis, and fungi serve as natural hosts. The name of the group derives from Latin ''toti'' which means undivided or whole. There are 28 spec ...

''. Protozoa serve as natural hosts, and Leishmaniaviruses are present in several species of the human protozoan parasite '' Leishmania''. There are two species in this genus.

History

The presence of virus-like particles in ''Leishmania hertigi'' was first reported in 1974. Various molecular descriptions of ''Leishmaniavirus'' were revealed over the subsequent decade, and mostly performed on members of the South American ''L. (Viannia)'' subgenus of parasites (which carries the LRV1 species) such as ''L. guyanensis'' (''L.g'') and then later in '' L. braziliensis'' (''L.b''). Recently, interest in these microbial viruses has been renewed by a finding that they may play a role in leishmanial

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

Prevalence

The prevalence of LRV1 in human parasites is still largely unknown. So far, no LRV1 has been detected in other key ''L. (Viannia)'' species, such as ''L. panamensis'' (''L.p''). Further, LRV1 is rarely found in species outside the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

, and so far, all Paleotropic LRV isolates have shown genetic differences that were sufficient to classify them in a new subcategory named “LRV2”. This variant of LRV was first classified in a single isolate of ''L. major'' (''L.m''), and is recorded as the only and exceptional member of ''L.m'' to carry it. Recently, LRV2 has also been found in strains of ''L. aethiopica'' (''L.ae'') Zangger, H., et al.
Leishmania aethiopica field isolates bearing an endosymbiontic dsRNA virus induce pro-inflammatory cytokine response
PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2014. 8(4): p. e2836. isolated from biopsies of

cutaneous leishmaniasis Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis affecting humans. It is a skin infection caused by a single-celled parasite that is transmitted by the bite of a phlebotomine sand fly. There are about thirty species of '' Leish ...

patients in the

Ethiopian highlands The Ethiopian Highlands is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa. It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below , while the summits reach heights of up to . ...

Taxonomy

The following species are assigned to the genus: * '' Leishmania RNA virus 1'' * '' Leishmania RNA virus 2''

Structure

Viruses in ''Leishmaniavirus'' are non-enveloped, with icosahedral geometries, and T=2 symmetry. The diameter is around 33 nm. Genomes are linear, around 5.3kb in length. The genome has 2 large open reading frames.

Life cycle

Viral replication is cytoplasmic. Replication follows the double-stranded RNA virus replication model. Double-stranded RNA virus transcription is the method of transcription. Translation takes place by +1 ribosomal frameshifting. Protozoa serve as the natural host.

References

External links

Viralzone: Leishmaniavirus

ICTV
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4042754 Totiviridae Virus genera