Sand fly fauna and molecular detection of Leishmania species and blood meal sources in different rural environments in western Amazon

Acta Trop. 2021 Sep 22:106150. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106150. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTCutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a disease caused by Leishmania species and transmitted by the bites of infected female sand fly species. The diversity of these insects in Rondônia State (where CL is the predominant form) is large but unexplored, and consequently the vector species are unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sand fly fauna in two environments (forest fragment and peridomicile) in rural areas of four municipalities of the state, DNA amplification of Leishmania species and the presence of blood meal sources for these insects. After identifying the species, sample coverage was applied to estimate the fauna coverage in each environment. Females were used to amplify and detect Leishmania DNA and blood meal sources, then posteriorly identified by sequencing. A total of 1,706 individuals were included in 61 species, which was a sample coverage of 97% for the forest fragments (56 species), whereas 98% was observed (32 species) in peridomiciles. Next, 41 pools were prepared from 1,227 females, and none were positive for Leishmania DNA. We observed 160 engorged females (forest fragments: 21, peridomiciles: 139) belonging to females of the Antunesi complex and another eight species. Two of these females were positive for Leishmania braziliensis-DNA: one in the Antunesi complex and one in Psychodopygus hirsutus hirsutus. Seven blood meal sources were identi...
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research