scholarly journals Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in eight Balkan countries: historical review and region-wide entomological survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vit Dvorak ◽  
Ozge Erisoz Kasap ◽  
Vladimir Ivovic ◽  
Ognyan Mikov ◽  
Jovana Stefanovska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Records ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Historical Review ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Entomological Survey ◽  
Balkan Countries

Abstract Background Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are medically important vectors of human and veterinary disease-causing agents. Among these, the genus Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), and phleboviruses are of utmost importance. Despite such significance, updated information about sand fly fauna is missing for Balkan countries where both sand flies and autochtonous leishmaniases are historically present and recently re-emerging. Therefore, a review of historical data on sand fly species composition and distribution in the region was followed by a large-scale entomological survey in eight Balkan countries to provide a recent update on local sand fly fauna. Methods The literature search involved the period 1910–2019. The entomological survey was conducted at 1189 sampling stations in eight countries (Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia), covering 49 settlements and 358 sampling sites between June and October in the years 2014 and 2016, accumulating 130 sampling days. We performed a total of 1189 trapping nights at these stations using two types of traps (light and CO2 attraction traps) in each location. Sampling was performed with a minimal duration of 6 (Montenegro) and a maximal of 47 days (Serbia) between 0–1000 m.a.s.l. Collected sand flies were morphologically identified. Results In total, 8490 sand fly specimens were collected. Morphological identification showed presence of 14 species belonging to genera Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia. Historical data were critically reviewed and updated with our recent findings. Six species were identified in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2 new records), 5 in Montenegro (2 new records), 5 in Croatia (2 new records), 9 in Bulgaria (5 new records), 11 in North Macedonia (1 new record), 10 in Serbia (no new records), 9 in Kosovo (3 new records) and 4 in Slovenia (no new records). Conclusions This study presents results of the first integrated sand fly fauna survey of such scale for the Balkan region, providing first data on sand fly populations for four countries in the study area and presenting new species records for six countries and updated species lists for all surveyed countries. Our findings demonstrate presence of proven and suspected vectors of several Leishmania species.

New Records of Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From the Western Brazilian Amazon and the Description of the Female of Pintomyia fiocruzi

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1328-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glaucilene da Silva Costa ◽  
Antonio Marques Pereira Júnior ◽  
Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa ◽  
Paloma Helena Fernandes Shimabukuro ◽  
Jansen Fernandes Medeiros
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
New Records ◽  
Brazilian Amazon ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Phlebotomine Sand Flies ◽  
Entomological Survey ◽  
Collection Sites ◽  
Study Species

Abstract An entomological survey was conducted in several localities of Rondônia State, and new records were obtained for seven sand fly species: Evandromyia apurinan Shimabukuro, Figueira & Silva, 2013, Evandromyia carmelinoi (Ryan, Fraiha, Lainson & Shaw, 1986), Micropygomyia echinatopharynx Andrade-Filho, Galati, Andrade & Falcão, 2004, Nyssomyia urbinattii Galati & Galvis, 2012, Pintomyia duckei Oliveira, Alencar & Freitas, 2018, Psathyromyia pradobarrientosi (Le Pont, Matias, Martinez & Dujardin, 2004), and Sciopemyia vattierae (Le Pont & Desjeux, 1992). Herein, we also describe the female of Pintomyia fiocruzi Pereira Júnior, Pessoa, Marivalva & Medeiros, 2019. The female has spermathecae with a detached apical ring similar to the spermathecae of Pintomyia serrana (Damasceno & Arouck, 1949), Pintomyia odax (Fairchild & Hertig, 1961), Pintomyia ottolinai (Ortiz & Scorza, 1963), and Pintomyia robusta (Galati, Cáceres & Le Pont, 1995). Here, we provide characters to separate Pi. fiocruzi from Pi. serrana and Pi. odax. Pintomyia ottolinai has a trans-Andean distribution and Pi. robusta has not been found in Brazil and in our studies, we associated the females found in this study with Pi. fiocruzi males found at the same collection sites. Our findings highlight the importance of entomological fauna surveys and demonstrate the need for taxonomists to study species diversity in Rondônia. This study increases the number of sand fly species recorded in Rondônia to 143.

scholarly journals Morphological identification keys for adults of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tharaka Wijerathna ◽  
Nayana Gunathilaka
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Identification Keys ◽  
Control Programmes

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.

scholarly journals Genetic dissection of a Leishmania flagellar proteome demonstrates requirement for directional motility in sand fly infections

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Beneke ◽  
François Demay ◽  
Edward Hookway ◽  
Nicole Ashman ◽  
Heather Jeffery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Flagellar Proteins

AbstractThe protozoan parasite Leishmania possesses a single flagellum, which is remodelled during the parasite’s life cycle from a long motile flagellum in promastigote forms in the sand fly to a short immotile flagellum in amastigotes residing in mammalian phagocytes. This study examined the protein composition and in vivo function of the promastigote flagellum. Protein mass spectrometry and label free protein enrichment testing of isolated flagella and deflagellated cell bodies defined a flagellar proteome for L. mexicana promastigote forms (available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD011057). This information was used to generate a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout library of 100 mutants to screen for flagellar defects. This first large-scale knockout screen in a Leishmania sp. identified 56 mutants with altered swimming speed (52 reduced and 4 increased) and defined distinct mutant categories (faster swimmers, slower swimmers, slow uncoordinated swimmers and paralysed cells, including aflagellate promastigotes and cells with curled flagella and disruptions of the paraflagellar rod). Each mutant was tagged with a unique 17-nt barcode, providing a simple barcode sequencing (bar-seq) method for measuring the relative fitness of L. mexicana mutants in vivo. In mixed infections of the permissive sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis, paralysed promastigotes and uncoordinated swimmers were severely diminished in the fly after defecation of the bloodmeal. Subsequent examination of flies infected with a single mutant lacking the central pair protein PF16 showed that these paralysed promastigotes did not reach anterior regions of the fly alimentary tract. These data show that L. mexicana need directional motility for successful colonisation of sand flies.Author SummaryLeishmania are protozoan parasites, transmitted between mammals by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. Promastigote forms in the sand fly have a long flagellum, which is motile and used for anchoring the parasites to prevent clearance with the digested blood meal remnants. To dissect flagellar functions and their importance in life cycle progression, we generated here a comprehensive list of >300 flagellar proteins and produced a CRISPR-Cas9 gene knockout library of 100 mutant Leishmania. We studied their behaviour in vitro before examining their fate in the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis. Measuring mutant swimming speeds showed that about half behaved differently compared to the wild type: a few swam faster, many slower and some were completely paralysed. We also found a group of uncoordinated swimmers. To test whether flagellar motility is required for parasite migration from the fly midgut to the foregut from where they reach the next host, we infected sand flies with a mixed mutant population. Each mutant carried a unique tag and tracking these tags up to nine days after infection showed that paralysed and uncoordinated Leishmania were rapidly lost from flies. These data indicate that directional swimming is important for successful colonisation of sand flies.

Entomological Survey for the Detection of Sand Fly Fauna and Vector Species in the Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Area in East Mediterranean Region of Turkey, Mersin Province

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1510-1515 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Emin Limoncu ◽  
İ Cüneyt Balcıoğlu ◽  
Seray Töz ◽  
Samiye Demir ◽  
Hakan Kavur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Area ◽  
Infectious Agent ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Vector Species ◽  
Entomological Survey ◽  
Leishmania Promastigotes ◽  
East Mediterranean Region

Abstract Cutaneous (CL) and visceral (VL) forms of leishmaniasis, transmitted by sand flies, are seen in all countries located in Mediterranean Basin including Turkey. In this study, we aimed to conduct an entomological survey for the detection of sand fly fauna and vector species in Mersin province, one of the important endemic areas for CL in Turkey. In total, 912 sand fly specimens were collected in 2010 and 2011 using CDC light traps. Nine Phlebotomus (Diptera: Psychodidae) and three Sergentomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae) species were detected. Of the collected Phlebotomus sand flies, P. sergenti Parrot, 1917 (30.1%) was the most dominant followed by P. alexandri Sinton, 1928 (18.2%), P. neglectus/syriacus Tonnoir Adler (12.0%), P. tobbi Adler & Theodor, 1930 (11.7%), and P. papatasi Scopoli, 1786 (10.2%), while S. minuta Rondani, 1843 (11.3%) was the dominant species among Sergentomyia. During the field work in 2011, female specimens (n = 81) were screened for the presence of Leishmania promastigotes by midgut dissection, and all were found negative. The rest of the collected female specimens (n = 334) were pooled according to species (P. alexandri, P. neglectus/syriacus, P. papatasi, P. sergenti, P. simici, and P. tobbi) and location (Mut, Silifke, and Anamur). In total, 29 pools were generated and real-time ITS1 PCR assay was performed to detect and identify natural Leishmania Ross, 1903 (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatida) infection. Two pools, both from Mut town, containing P. sergenti specimens were found positive and Leishmania tropica Ross, 1903 was identified as an infectious agent for both pools. In conclusion, the sand fly fauna was determined in an endemic area for CL. The detection of L. tropica DNA in P. sergenti specimens showed the possible vectorial role of this species in Mersin province.

scholarly journals Integrative Approach to Phlebotomus mascittii Grassi, 1908: First Record in Vienna with New Morphological and Molecular Insights

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1032
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vít Dvořák ◽  
Petr Halada ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid G. Obwaller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
Protein Profiling ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Marker Genes ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Maldi Tof Ms ◽  
Maldi Tof ◽  
Tof Ms

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.

scholarly journals Description of a new phlebotomine species (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) and new records of sand flies from the State of Acre, northern Brazil

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3609 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINA BIONI GARCIA TELES ◽  
RUI ALVES FREITAS ◽  
ARLEY FARIA JOSÉ DE OLIVEIRA ◽  
GUILHERME MAERSCHNER OGAWA ◽  
EDICARLOS ANDRÉ CAVALCANTE DE ARAÚJO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New Records ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
The State ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
Phlebotomine Sand Flies ◽  
Northern Brazil

Groundbreaking studies of phlebotomine sand fly populations in Assis Brasil, State of Acre, Brazil, resulted in the collec-tion of 13 new records of phlebotomine sand flies and one previously undescribed species. Lutzomyia naiffi sp. nov. is described here. The new species is similar to Lutzomyia columbiana (Ristorcelli & Van Ty) in measurements and other morphological characters.

scholarly journals New records of Microbotryum (Microbotryaceae) from the Balkan Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-291
Author(s):  
Teodor Denchev ◽  
Boris Assyov ◽  
Cvetomir Denchev
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
New Records ◽  
Balkan Peninsula ◽  
Smut Fungus ◽  
Smut Fungi ◽  
Italian Alps ◽  
New Host ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
First Time ◽  
Distribution In Europe

Seven smut fungi belonging to the genus Microbotryum are reported for the first time from the following Balkan countries: M. heliospermatis, M. piperi, M. scabiosae, M. silenes-dioicae, and M. silenes-saxifragae from Bulgaria, M. reticulatum, M. silenes-saxifragae, and M. stygium from Greece, and M. silenes-saxifragae from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The finding of M. piperi represents the first Balkan record of this smut fungus which, elsewhere in Europe, is only known from the French Pyrenees and the Italian Alps. The finding of M. stygium in Crete considerably extends its distribution in Europe. Rumex tuberosus subsp. creticus is reported as a new host for M. stygium.

scholarly journals Identification of Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) Collected from Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Focus in the Ho Municipality, Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44
Author(s):  
Edna Dzifa Doe ◽  
Godwin Kwakye-Nuako ◽  
Seth Offei Addo ◽  
Alexander Egyir-Yawson
Keyword(s):  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Oxidase Gene ◽  
Infected Female ◽  
Molecular Weights ◽  
Endemic Focus

Leishmaniasis, is a vector-borne disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female sand flies. Active and continuous monitoring of the sand fly is an important aspect of disease control. Thus, the correct identification of its vectors is paramount in this regard. Objective: The study was conducted to morphologically and molecularly identify female sand fly species in a cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic focus collected in three villages in the Ho Municipality of the Volta region based on taxonomic keys. CDC light traps and sticky paper traps was used for the collection of the sand flies. The morphologically identified sand flies was molecularly confirmed by running PCR with the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase gene subunit I (COI) primers and DNA sequenced. A total of 537 sand flies was collected, made up of 363 females and 174 males.  Eleven different species of sand flies was morphologically identified – one Phlebotomus species and ten Sergentomyia species. The PCR amplified products showed bands of molecular weights 658 base pairs for the primers. The molecular identification using the 658-bp fragment of the (COI) gene was congruent with the morphological identification.

scholarly journals Sand fly identification and screening for Leishmania spp. in six provinces of Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orawan Phuphisut ◽  
Chanyapat Nitatsukprasert ◽  
Nattaphol Pathawong ◽  
Boonsong Jaichapor ◽  
Arissara Pongsiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Distinct Species ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Species Complexes ◽  
Human Leishmaniasis ◽  
Leishmania Spp

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of Leishmania spp. At least 27 species of sand flies have been recorded in Thailand. Although human leishmaniasis cases in Thailand are mainly imported, autochthonous leishmaniasis has been increasingly reported in several regions of the country since 1999. Few studies have detected Leishmania infection in wild-caught sand flies, although these studies were carried out only in those areas reporting human leishmaniasis cases. The aim of this study was therefore to identity sand fly species and to investigate Leishmania infection across six provinces of Thailand. Methods Species of wild-caught sand flies were initially identified based on morphological characters. However, problems identifying cryptic species complexes necessitated molecular identification using DNA barcoding in parallel with identification based on morphological characters. The wild-caught sand flies were pooled and the DNA isolated prior to the detection of Leishmania infection by a TaqMan real-time PCR assay. Results A total of 4498 sand flies (1158 males and 3340 females) were caught by trapping in six provinces in four regions of Thailand. The sand flies were morphologically classified into eight species belonging to three genera (Sergentomyia, Phlebotomus and Idiophlebotomus). Sergentomyia iyengari was found at all collection sites and was the dominant species at most of these, followed in frequency by Sergentomyia barraudi and Phlebotomus stantoni, respectively. DNA barcodes generated from 68 sand flies allowed sorting into 14 distinct species with 25 operational taxonomic units, indicating a higher diversity (by 75%) than that based on morphological identification. Twelve barcoding sequences could not be assigned to any species for which cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences are available. All tested sand flies were negative for Leishmania DNA. Conclusions Our results confirm the presence of several sand fly species in different provinces of Thailand, highlighting the importance of using DNA barcoding as a tool to study sand fly species diversity. While all female sand flies tested in this study were negative for Leishmania, the circulation of Leishmania spp. in the investigated areas cannot be ruled out. Graphical abstract

scholarly journals Optimization of DNA Extraction from Individual Sand Flies for PCR Amplification

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
Lorena G. Caligiuri ◽  
Adolfo E. Sandoval ◽  
Jose C. Miranda ◽  
Felipe A. Pessoa ◽  
María S. Santini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Extraction ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Proteinase K ◽  
Sand Fly ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Sand Flies ◽  
Lysis Buffer ◽  
Commercial Kits

Numerous protocols have been published for extracting DNA from phlebotomines. Nevertheless, their small size is generally an issue in terms of yield, efficiency, and purity, for large-scale individual sand fly DNA extractions when using traditional methods. Even though this can be circumvented with commercial kits, these are generally cost-prohibitive for developing countries. We encountered these limitations when analyzing field-collected Lutzomyia spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and, for this reason, we evaluated various modifications on a previously published protocol, the most significant of which was a different lysis buffer that contained Ca2+ (buffer TESCa). This ion protects proteinase K against autolysis, increases its thermal stability, and could have a regulatory function for its substrate-binding site. Individual sand fly DNA extraction success was confirmed by amplification reactions using internal control primers that amplify a fragment of the cacophony gene. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a lysis buffer containing Ca2+ has been reported for the extraction of DNA from sand flies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document