Trypanosomatids in Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) From Anthropic and Sinantropic Landscapes in a Rural Settlement in the Brazilian Amazon

Author(s):  
R C S Guimarães ◽  
E F Marialva ◽  
J A Feijó ◽  
J W Pereira-Silva ◽  
K M Martins-Campos ◽  
...  

Abstract Trypanosomatids (Kinetoplastida:Trypanosomatidae) protozoa are a diverse group of obligate parasites. The genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania are the most studied because of their medical importance. This work aims to evaluate the effects of anthropization processes on the composition of the phlebotomine sand fly fauna and the natural infection by Trypanosomatids, with emphasis on Leishmania. At all 3,186 sand flies were collected, distributed in 13 genera and 52 species, being Ny. umbratilis the most abundant species. There was no difference in the diversity between canopy and soil environments. The species abundance and richness were higher in the forest environment while species diversity and evenness were highest in the forest edge. The ITS1 region was used by PCR-RFLP to identify the fragment profiles of Leishmania species, followed by genetic sequencing. Here were analyzed 100 pools of female sand flies, being six positive for DNA parasite. PCR-RFLP fragment patterns similar to Endotrypanum sp. were observed in Nyssomyia anduzei, Psychodopygus amazonensis and Lutzomyia gomezi, and those fragments similar to Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis were observed in Bichromomyia flaviscutellata. ITS1 sequencing confirmed the presence of Leishmania sp. in Bi. flaviscutellata, and Leishmania (Viannia) naiffi in Ny. anduzei, Psychodopygus amazonensis, and Lu. gomezi. This is the first record of Lu. gomezi and Ps. amazonensis infection by L. naiffi in the State of Amazonas. These results show the trypanosomatid infection in sandflies from different landscapes in a rural settlement, and the finding of species infected with L.(V.) naiffi suggest that they can develop a role in the transmission cycle of leishmaniasis.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa ◽  
Javier Varela Amador ◽  
Yokomi Lozano-Sardaneta ◽  
Gabriela Rodriguez Segura ◽  
Concepcion Zúniga Valeriano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The two most abundant sand fly species on the Honduran Pacific coast are Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis and Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) evansi. Both species are known vectors of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum, the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Americas. Although VL and non-ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis (NUCL) are endemic on the Pacific versant of the Central American Pacific, the latter is the most frequent manifestation of leishmaniasis there. We evaluated the circulation of Leishmania spp. in the sand fly species on El Tigre Island, an endemic area of NUCL. Results We collected 222 specimens of six sand fly species. Lu. longipalpis (180 specimens; 81%) and Pif. (Pi.) evansi (35 specimens; 16%) were the most abundant species. L. (L.) infantum DNA was detected in nine of the 96 specimens analyzed; seven of these specimens were identified as Lu. longipalpis, and the remaining two were Pi.evansi, with an infection rate of 9.4% and 2.7%, respectively. Conclusion We present the first record of L. (L.) infantum DNA in Pi.evansi from a NUCL endemic region of Central America. Our results suggest that Pi. evansi could be a secondary vector of L. (L.) infantum in the transmission cycle of leishmaniasis. The detection of natural infections of L. (L.) infantum in sand flies in this region contributes to an understanding of the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Honduras.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilfredo Humberto Sosa-Ochoa ◽  
Javier Varela Amador ◽  
Yokomi N Lozano-Sardaneta ◽  
Gabriela Rodriguez Segura ◽  
Concepcion Zúniga ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The two most abundant sand flies species in Honduran Pacific coast are Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis and Pintomyia (Pintomyia) evansi. Both species are proved vectors of the agent of for visceral leishmaniasis in South America. Although, visceral and cutaneous non-ulcerated leishmaniasis are endemic of the Central American Pacific, being the Non-ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis the most frequent manifestation. In this study, we evaluate the circulation of Leishmania spp in sand flies species in the El Tigre Island, an endemic area of Visceral and Non -ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis in Honduras. Results Six sand flies species were identified, being Lu. longipalpis (81%) and Pi. evansi (16%) the more abundant species. Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum DNA was found in 9 of the 96 specimens analyzed, 7 of these specimens was identify as Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis and 2 as Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) evansi, with an infection rate of 9.4% and 2.7% respectively. Conclusion Our results present the first record of Leishmania (L.) infantum DNA in Pintomyia (Pintomyia) evansi in a Non-ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic region from Central America. Considering the natural infection of Lu. longipalpis our results suggest that Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) evansi might be a secondary vector of Leishmania (L.) infantum and probably involved in the disease’s transmission cycle. Undoubtedly, the detection of natural infections of in this region contributes to the understanding of the L. (L.) infantum infection epidemiology in Honduras


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1368-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josiane V Lopes ◽  
Erika M Michalsky ◽  
Nathalia C L Pereira ◽  
Adão J V de Paula ◽  
Fabiana O Lara-Silva ◽  
...  

Abstract Among neglected tropical diseases, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) shows great relevance in global terms and is a serious public health concern due to the possibility of severe and lethal forms in humans. In this study, we evaluate entomological factors such as diversity and abundance of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera:Psychodidae) and the Leishmania species circulating in these species in possible association with VL transmission in the Brazilian town Itaúna. The entomological collections were performed during three consecutive nights, always in the third week of each month, within a period of 12 mo. A total of 1,786 sand fly specimens were collected, from which 20% were collected inside houses. The influence of three local climatic variables (temperature, rainfall, relative humidity) on the population sizes of these insects was evaluated. Temperature was the most influential factor, with a significant positive correlation with the local population size of phlebotomine sand flies collected per month. Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) was the predominant species in the study area. Leishmania DNA was detected in nine out of 133 pools of sand fly females, using nested/PCR, which resulted in a minimal natural infection rate of 2.91%. DNA from Leishmania infantum Nicolle, 1908 (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatida), was detected in Evandromyia cortelezzii (Bréthes, 1923), Ev. evandroi (Costa, Lima & Antunes, 1936), Ev. lenti (Mangabeira, 1938), and Ev. termitophila (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1964), besides Lu. longipalpis. Our study indicates favorable conditions for VL spreading in Itaúna due to the presence of Lu. longipalpis and Le. infantum-infected phlebotomine sand flies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharaka Wijerathna ◽  
Nayana Gunathilaka

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are a medically important group of insects that is responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis. Surveillance plays a major role in vector control programmes through exploring species abundance, potential entomological risk and designing appropriate control measures. In field surveillance programmes of such nature, morphological identification of vector species is of paramount importance. However, in Sri Lanka, there is no published taxonomic key available for the identification of leishmaniasis vectors. Method Identification keys for both male and females of the sand flies recorded in Sri Lanka were developed using morphological features. Main identification features were compared with the original observation of specimens collected from surveys and the use of published literature. Photographic illustrations of morphological features are included with the intention of making the keys user-friendly for non-taxonomists. Results A total of 22 sand fly species (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the genera Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia reported in Sri Lanka from 1910 to 2019 are included in the present work. Conclusion This simplified key, along with photographs taken from specimens would be beneficial to the health staff, entomologists and research staff who deal with leishmaniasis control programmes and vector-related studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Calzolari ◽  
Gianluca Rugna ◽  
Emanuela Clementi ◽  
Elena Carra ◽  
Marco Pinna ◽  
...  

The Trypanosoma theileri group includes several trypanosome species hardly distinguishable due to the lack of discriminating morphological characters. Trypanosomes belonging to this group have been isolated from different bovine, ovine, and cervids in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Americas. The principal vectors of the T. theileri group are considered tabanid flies; however, T. melophagium is transmitted exclusively by sheep keds. In 2016, 128 sand flies out of 2,728 trapped in Valsamoggia municipality, Italy, were individually dissected and an unknown trypanosome strain, named TrPhp1, was isolated from a female of the sand fly Phlebotomus perfiliewi. Sequence analysis placed this trypanosome in the T. theileri group with very high homology to other trypanosomes detected in European cervids. This is the first report of the T. theileri group isolation from a sand fly, and the possible role of this insect group in the trypanosome transmission cycle is discussed. Within the T. theileri group, the phylogenetic analysis distinguished several lineages, which, unfortunately, do not correspond with their host specificity and their taxonomic status remains ambiguous.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Chystrie A. Rigg ◽  
Milixa Perea ◽  
Kadir González ◽  
Azael Saldaña ◽  
José E. Calzada ◽  
...  

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis transmission in the New World is observed in areas with rich sand fly species’ faunas. The diversity and composition of sand fly species can change in response to seasonal weather and land use changes. Here, we present results from a two-year-long study where we collected, using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps, sand flies from two rural areas, Las Pavas (LP) and Trinidad de las Minas (T) in western Panamá. Over 710 trap-nights, we collected 16,156 sand flies from 15 genera and 35 species. We identified 34 species in T, and the most abundant species collected was Nyssomyia trapidoi (Fairchild and Hertig, 1952) (n = 2278, 37%), followed by Psychodopygus panamensis (Shannon, 1926) (n = 1112, 18%), and Trichopygomyia triramula (Fairchild and Hertig, 1952) (n = 1063, 17%). In LP, we identified 26 species, and the most abundant species collected were Ty. triramula (n = 4729, 48%), and Ps. panamensis (n = 3444, 35%). We estimated a higher species’ richness in T (Chao2 ± S.E.: 36.58 ± 3.84) than in LP (27.49 ± 2.28). In T, species’ richness was significantly higher in the rainy season, but no seasonal differences were observed in LP. Species’ assemblages were nested in the two areas. Phlebotomine sand fly species’ abundance increased at the two sites during the rainy season. Our data suggest that seasonality is more important than land use as a factor driving sand fly species’ diversity at the studied sites.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1032
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vít Dvořák ◽  
Petr Halada ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid G. Obwaller ◽  
...  

Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are blood-feeding insects that transmit the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. and various arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses. While in Mediterranean parts of Europe the sand fly fauna is diverse, in Central European countries including Austria mainly Phlebotomus mascittii is found, an assumed but unproven vector of Leishmania infantum. To update the currently understudied sand fly distribution in Austria, a sand fly survey was performed and other entomological catches were screened for sand flies. Seven new trapping locations of Ph. mascittii are reported including the first record in Vienna, representing also one of the first findings of this species in a city. Morphological identification, supported by fluorescence microscopy, was confirmed by two molecular approaches, including sequencing and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) protein profiling. Sand fly occurrence and activity were evaluated based on surveyed locations, habitat requirements and climatic parameters. Moreover, a first comparison of European Ph. mascittii populations was made by two marker genes, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI), and cytochrome b (cytb), as well as MALDI-TOF mass spectra. Our study provides new important records of Ph. mascittii in Austria and valuable data for prospective entomological surveys. MALDI-TOF MS protein profiling was shown to be a reliable tool for differentiation between sand fly species. Rising temperatures and globalization demand for regular entomological surveys to monitor changes in species distribution and composition. This is also important with respect to the possible vector competence of Ph. mascittii.


Author(s):  
Fredy Galvis-Ovallos ◽  
Adriele Eiko Ueta ◽  
Gabriella de Oliveira Marques ◽  
Ana Maria Casagrande Sarmento ◽  
Gabriela Araujo ◽  
...  

Abstract Visceral leishmaniasis is spreading in Brazil where the main vector of its agent, Leishmania infantum Nicolle, 1908, is the Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) species complex (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), on which many of the activities of the visceral leishmaniasis surveillance program are based. However, there are areas where canine, and/or human cases have been occurring without the presence of this species complex as in the western part of the Greater São Paulo Metropolitan region, where Embu das Artes municipality is situated. In this area, Pintomyia fischeri (Pinto, 1926) has been implicated as potential vector of Le. infantum but so far its natural infection with this parasite has not yet been ascertained. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the natural infection in sand flies of a CVL focus in Embu das Artes. The sand fly collections were undertaken with Shannon and CDC traps, monthly, between 1800 and 2100 hours from November 2018 to October 2019, inclusive. A total of 951 sand flies (457 males and 494 females), belonging to 10 species, were captured. Pintomyia fischeri was the predominant species (89.5%); of which 426 females were dissected and one of them (0.23%) was found to be harboring flagellates in its midgut. A sample of these flagellates was isolated in culture and characterized by a 234 base pair fragment of Leishmania heat-shock protein 70 gene (hsp70) and restriction fragment length polymorphism with Hae III restriction enzyme as Le. infantum. This finding reinforces previous evidence of Pi. fischeri as a vector of Le. infantum in foci of visceral leishmaniasis and highlights the importance of vector surveillance in areas where this species occurs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla López ◽  
Diana Erazo ◽  
Juliana Hoyos ◽  
Cielo León ◽  
Patricia Fuya ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Leishmaniases are a group of neglected tropical diseases caused by different species of the protozoan parasite Leishmania, transmitted to its mammalian hosts by the bites of several species of female Phlebotominae sand flies. Many factors have contributed to shifts in the disease distribution and eco epidemiological outcomes, resulting in the emergence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis outbreaks and the incrimination of vectors in unreported regions. New research development is vital for establishing the new paradigms of the present transmission cycles, hoping to facilitate new control strategies to reduce parasite transmission. Hereafter, this work aims to model and infer the current transmission cycles of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Colombia defined by vector and mammal species distributed and interacting in the different regions and validate them by performing sand fly and mammal collections. Vector-host co-occurrences were computed considering five ecoregions of the Colombian territory defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and downloaded from The Nature Conservancy TNC Maps website. Four validation sites were selected based on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis prevalence reports. Sand flies and mammals captured in the field were processed, and species were defined using conventional taxonomic guidelines. Detection of infection by Leishmania was performed to identify transmission cycles in the selected areas. This study uses predictive models based on available information from international gazetteers and fieldwork to confirm sand fly and mammalian species' sustaining Leishmania transmission cycles. Our results show an uneven distribution of mammal samples in Colombia, possibly due to sampling bias, since only two departments contributed 50% of the available samples. Bats were the vertebrates with the highest score values, suggesting substantial spatial overlap with sand flies than the rest of the vertebrates evaluated. Fieldwork allowed identifying three circulating Leishmania species, isolated from three sand fly species. In the Montane Forest ecosystem, one small marsupial, Gracilinanus marica, was found infected with Leishmania panamensis, constituting the first record of this species infected with Leishmania. In the same locality, an infected sand fly, Pintomyia pia, was found. The overall results could support the understanding of the current transmission cycles of Leishmaniasis in Colombia.


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