Discussion

Comparative genomics in Trypanosomatids has opened myriad possibilities that have contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of these parasite population dynamics in endemic regions, their biology, and interactions with hosts. In the first part of this talk, we will present studies on the genomic variability of Leishmania infantum isolates in different endemic regions in Brazil. Our findings reveal intra- and inter-population variability shaped by spatial and temporal components. In the second part, we will present a new methodology for the comparative study of repetitive genomic sequences among Trypanosoma cruzi isolates based on unassembled short reads. Its application on the identification of biomarkers for diagnosis and on the study of multigene families encoding virulence factors will be discussed.