Leishmania RNA virus (LRV) has been shown to be a symbiotic component of
Leishmania parasites in South America. Nested retro-transcription polymerase chain reaction was employed to investigate LRV1 presence in leishmaniasis lesions from Brazil. In endemic areas of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), no
LRV1 infection was observed even with mucosal involvement.
LRV1 was only detected in
Leishmania (V.) guyanensis
cutaneous lesions from the northern region, which were obtained from patients presenting with disease reactivation after clinical cure of their primary lesions. Our results indicated that the severity of leishmaniasis in some areas of RJ, where
Leishmania (V.) braziliensis
is the primary etiological agent, was not associated with
Leishmania LRV1 infection.
