Genetic diversity and comparative genomics across Leishmania (Viannia) species

Genetic diversity and comparative genomics across Leishmania (Viannia) species | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Resource Genetic diversity and comparative genomics across Leishmania (Viannia) species Jorge Duitama, Laura Gonzalez-Garcia, Maria Rodriguez, Marcela Parra-Muñoz, and 12 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4220115/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Biology → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Leishmaniasis is a disease representing an important public health problem worldwide, with a broad spectrum of clinical and epidemiological features partly associated with the diversity and complex life cycle of the Leishmania parasites. This study analyzes genomic data from 205 Leishmania (Viannia) samples, including 66 newly sequenced clinical isolates. It also provides chromosome-level genome assemblies for 10 isolates representing different species and populations. The observed distribution of Leishmania genomic diversity across the sampling locations suggests rapid adaptation to different ecosystems. Pangenomic analysis of high-quality assemblies shows consistent copy number variation between species for different gene families. Amastin gene families have larger numbers and diversity than previous reports based on analysis of short-read data. This work provides comprehensive genomic resources to identify population markers for Leishmania spp, leveraging valuable insights into the biology, transmission dynamics, the evolution of virulence mechanisms, and the spread of resistance of the parasite. Biological sciences/Microbiology/Parasitology/Parasite genomics Biological sciences/Genetics/Population genetics Biological sciences/Biotechnology/Genomics/Comparative genomics Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTables20240404.xlsx Supplementary tables SupplementaryInformation20240404.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 Jun, 2025 Read the published version in Communications Biology → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4220115","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Resource","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":288891731,"identity":"42c1d177-eef5-48ca-8bdb-8ed0529b45f1","order_by":0,"name":"Jorge 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