Publicaties
A survey on Trypanosoma evansi (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) infection in domestic animals in a surra endemic area of Southern Algeria Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
Materials and Methods: In order to assess the presence of T. evansi in other domestic animals living together with dromedary camels, a study was conducted in the wilayate of Béchar, El Bayadh, Ouargla and Tamanrasset, between 2015 and 2017. Authorisation to conduct the survey was obtained from the Direction des ...
Analyses of early ZIKV genomes are consistent with viral spread from Northeast Brazil to the Americas Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
Parasite hybridization promotes spreading of endosymbiotic viruses Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play a significant role in the evolution of many organisms and ecosystems. In pathogenic protozoa, the presence of endosymbiotic viruses has been linked to an increased risk of treatment failure and severe clinical outcome. Here, we studied the molecular epidemiology of the zoonotic disease cutaneous leishmaniasis in Peru and Bolivia through a joint evolutionary analysis of ...
Unveiling drug-tolerant and persister-like cells in Leishmania braziliensis lines derived from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde
INTRODUCTION: Resistance against anti-Leishmania drugs (DR) has been studied for years, giving important insights into long-term adaptations of these parasites to drugs, through genetic modifications. However, microorganisms can also survive lethal drug exposure by entering into temporary quiescence, a phenomenon called drug tolerance (DT), which is rather unexplored in Leishmania.
METHODS: We studied a panel of nine Leishmania ...
The phylodynamics of SARS-CoV-2 during 2020 in Finland Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused millions of infections and fatalities globally since its emergence in late 2019. The virus was first detected in Finland in January 2020, after which it rapidly spread among the populace in spring. However, compared to other European nations, Finland has had a low incidence of SARS-CoV-2. To gain insight into the origins and turnover of SARS-CoV-2 lineages ...
Population genetics of African Schistosoma species Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
Blood flukes within the genus Schistosoma (schistosomes) are responsible for the major disease, schistosomiasis, in tropical and sub-tropical areas. This disease is predominantly present on the African continent with more than 85% of the human cases. Schistosomes are also parasites of veterinary importance infecting livestock and wildlife. Schistosoma population genetic structure and diversity are important characteristics that may reflect ...
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense-iELISA: a promising new test for the post-elimination monitoring of human African trypanosomiasis Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization targeted Trypanosoma brucei gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (gHAT) for elimination as a public health problem and for elimination of transmission. To measure gHAT elimination success with prevalences close to zero, highly specific diagnostics are necessary. Such a test exists in the form of an antibody-mediated complement lysis test, the trypanolysis test, but biosafety issues and ...
Genomic population structure associated with repeated escape of Salmonella enterica ATCC14028s from the laboratory into nature Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain ATCC14028s is commercially available from multiple national type culture collections, and has been widely used since 1960 for quality control of growth media and experiments on fitness ("laboratory evolution"). ATCC14028s has been implicated in multiple cross-contaminations in the laboratory, and has also caused multiple laboratory infections and one known attempt at bioterrorism. According to ...
Untangling introductions and persistence in COVID-19 resurgence in Europe Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde KU Leuven
After the first wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections in spring 2020, Europe experienced a resurgence of the virus starting in late summer 2020 that was deadlier and more difficult to contain 1. Relaxed intervention measures and summer travel have been implicated as drivers of the second wave 2. Here we build a phylogeographical model to evaluate how newly introduced lineages, as opposed to the rekindling of persistent lineages, contributed to the ...