Recent progress in sequencing the genomes of several Leishmania species, causative agents of cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, is revealing unusual features of potential relevance to parasite virulence and pathogenesis in the host. While the genomes of Leishmania major, Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania infantum are highly similar in content and organisation, species-specific genes and mechanisms distinguish one from another. In particular, the presence of retrotransposons and the components of a putative RNA interference machinery in L. braziliensis suggest the potential for both greater diversity and more tractable experimentation in this Leishmania Viannia species.

中文翻译：

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比较基因组学：从基因型到利什曼病的疾病表型。

几种利什曼原虫（皮肤、粘膜皮肤和内脏利什曼病的病原体）基因组测序的最新进展揭示了与宿主寄生虫毒力和发病机制潜在相关的不寻常特征。虽然大利什曼原虫、巴西利什曼原虫和婴儿利什曼原虫的基因组在内容和组织上高度相似，但物种特异性基因和机制将它们区分开来。特别是，巴西利什曼原虫中逆转录转座子的存在和假定的 RNA 干扰机制的组成部分表明，在这种利什曼原虫 Viannia 物种中具有更大的多样性和更易于处理的实验的潜力。