Résumé
We have expressed the reporter firefly luciferase gene (
LUC) in
Leishmania donovani and
Leishmania major either as part of episomal vectors or integrated into the parasite genome under the control of their respective ribosomal promoter regions. An excellent linear correlation between parasite number and luciferase activity was observed with all the transfectants.
LUC-expressing recombinant parasites were useful to monitor
Leishmania spp. infections in macrophages or in animal models. For prolonged growth in absence of drug selection, such as within animal models, quantitation of parasites is more reliable when the reporter gene
LUC is stably integrated in the parasite genome. These recombinant strains should be useful tools to monitor
Leishmania growth under a number of conditions.