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Spliced-Leader RNA as a Dynamic Marker for Monitoring Viable Leishmania Parasites During and After Treatment.

Rik HendrickxRoma MelkamuDagimawie TadesseTedla TeferiPim-Bart FeijensMargot VleminckxSaskia van HentenFabiana AlvesTamiru ShibruJohan van GriensvenGuy CaljonMyrthe Pareyn
Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases (2024)
Accurate detection of viable Leishmania parasites is critical for evaluating visceral leishmaniasis (VL) treatment response at an early timepoint. We compared the decay of kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) and spliced-leader RNA (SL-RNA) in vitro, in vivo, and in a VL patient cohort. An optimized combination of blood preservation and nucleic acid extraction improved efficiency for both targets. SL-RNA degraded more rapidly during treatment than kDNA, and correlated better with microscopic examination. SL-RNA quantitative polymerase chain reaction emerges as a superior method for dynamic monitoring of viable Leishmania parasites. It enables individualized treatment monitoring for improved prognoses and has potential as an early surrogate endpoint in clinical trials.
Keyphrases
  • nucleic acid
  • clinical trial
  • high resolution
  • plasmodium falciparum
  • combination therapy
  • study protocol
  • circulating tumor
  • phase ii