Epidemiology and Genetic Characterization of Leishmania RNA Virus in Leishmania ( Viannia ) spp. Isolates from Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Areas in Panama.

Leishmania ( Viannia ) spp. can harbor a double-stranded RNA virus known as Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV-1), whose presence has been reported in nine countries across the Americas and seven Leishmania species. Here, we studied 100 Leishmania ( Viannia ) isolates from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis collected from different endemic areas in Panama from 2016 to 2022. We identified L. ( V. ) panamensis , L. ( V. ) guyanensis , L. ( V. ) braziliensis/guyanensis hybrid, and L. ( V. ) panamensis sp.1. (genetic variant). LRV-1 was detected by RT-PCR in 9% of L. (Viannia) isolates (eight cases in L. ( V. ) panamensis , and one in L. ( V. ) guyanensis) . Phylogenetic analysis based on sequencing data classified all LRV-1 isolates within genotype A, suggesting that LRV phylogenetic proximity is closely aligned with geographical distribution or to the phylogenetic proximity of the Leishmania host in the case of the L. ( V. ) panamensis and L. ( V. ) guyanensis in Panama.