The First Non-LRV RNA Virus in Leishmania

In this work, we describe the first -infecting leishbunyavirus-the first virus other than (LRV) found in trypanosomatid parasites. Its host is , a human pathogen causing infections with a wide range of manifestations from asymptomatic to severe visceral disease. This virus ( LBV1) possesses many characteristic features of leishbunyaviruses, such as tripartite organization of its RNA genome, with ORFs encoding RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, surface glycoprotein, and nucleoprotein on L, M, and S segments, respectively. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that LBV1 originated from leishbunyaviruses of monoxenous trypanosomatids and, probably, is a result of genomic re-assortment. The LBV1 facilitates parasites' infectivity in vitro in primary murine macrophages model. The discovery of a virus in poses the question of whether it influences pathogenicity of this parasite in vivo, similarly to the LRV in other species.