scholarly journals Phlebotomus (Adlerius) simici NITZULESCU, 1931: first record in Austria and phylogenetic relationship with other Adlerius species

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vít Dvořák ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid G. Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Information on sand flies in Central Europe is scarce and, to date, in Austria, only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition. Results In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, cytochrome c oxidase I (coxI) and cytochrome b (cytb), revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages: one each from Europe, Turkey and Israel. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and an as yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlight how challenging molecular identification within the Adlerius complex can be, even when standard marker genes are applied. Conclusion To our knowledge, this study reports the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria, representing the northernmost recording of this species to date. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships among species within the subgenus Adlerius. Phlebotomus simici is a suspected vector of L. infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas support the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general. Graphic abstract

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vit Dvorak ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Sand fly findings in Central Europe are scarce and in Austria, to date only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition. Results In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, COI and cyt b, revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages, from Europe, Turkey and Israel, respectively. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and a yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlights that molecular identification can be challenging within the Adlerius complex, even when applying standard marker genes. Conclusion This study provides the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria and the northernmost record so far. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships of species within the Adlerius subgenus. Ph. simici is a suspected vector of Leishmania infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas, urge the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vit Dvorak ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Sand fly findings in Central Europe are scarce and in Austria, to date only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition.Results: In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, coxI and cytb, revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages, from Europe, Turkey and Israel, respectively. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and a yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlights that molecular identification can be challenging within the Adlerius complex, even when applying standard marker genes.Conclusion: This study provides the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria and the northernmost record so far. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships of species within the Adlerius subgenus. Ph. simici is a suspected vector of Leishmania infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas, urge the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general.


2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Cristina Fitipaldi Veloso Guimarães ◽  
Pietra Lemos Costa ◽  
Fernando José da Silva ◽  
Fábio Lopes de Melo ◽  
Filipe Dantas-Torres ◽  
...  

Several phlebotomine sand fly species have been regarded as putative or proven vectors of parasites of the genus Leishmania in Brazil, but data for the northeastern region remains incipient. In this study, a total of 600 phlebotomine sand flies were grouped in pools of 10 specimens each and tested by a Leishmania genus-specific PCR and by a PCR targeting Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. Fourteen out of 60 pools were positive by the genus-specific PCR, being five pools of L. migonei, seven of L. complexa, one of L. sordellii and one of L. naftalekatzi, which correspond to a minimal infection rate of 2.3% (14/600). Our results, associated with their known anthropophily and their abundance, suggest the participation of L. migonei and L. complexa as vectors of Leishmania in northeastern Brazil. Remarkably, this is the first time in this country that the detection of Leishmania DNA in L. sordellii and L. naftalekatzi has been reported, but future studies are necessary to better understand the significance of these findings.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Petrella ◽  
Serena Aceto ◽  
Vincenza Colonna ◽  
Giuseppe Saccone ◽  
Remo Sanges ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundPhlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Nematocera) are important vectors of several pathogens, including Leishmania parasites, causing serious diseases of humans and dogs. Despite their importance as disease vectors, most aspects of sand fly biology remain unknown including the molecular bases of their reproduction and sex determination, aspects also relevant for the development of novel vector control strategies.ResultsUsing a comparative genomics/transcriptomics approach, we identified the sex determining genes in phlebotomine sand flies and proposed the first model for the sex determination cascade of these insects. For all the genes identified, we produced manually curated gene models, developmental gene expression profile and performed evolutionary molecular analysis. We identified and characterized, for the first time in a Nematocera species, the transformer (tra) homolog which exhibits both conserved and novel features. The analysis of the tra locus in sand flies and its expression pattern suggest that this gene is able to autoregulate its own splicing, as observed in the fruit fly Ceratitis capitata and several other insect species.ConclusionsOur results permit to fill the gap about sex determination in sand flies, contribute to a better understanding of this developmental pathway in Nematocera and open the way for the identification of sex determining orthologs in other species of this important Diptera sub-order. Furthermore, the sex determination genes identified in our work also provide the opportunity of future biotech applications to control natural population of sand flies, reducing their impact on public health.


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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Gregorio ESTRADA ◽  
Odethe Alejandra APONTE ◽  
Eduar Elias BEJARANO

<p>El estudio de los insectos asociados a la epidemiología de la leishmaniasis, en la Costa Caribe colombiana, se ha concentrado en los departamentos de Sucre y Córdoba, por consiguiente existe un escaso conocimiento de la fauna de flebotomíneos del resto de la región. En la presente nota se presentan cuatro nuevos registros de <em>Lutzomyia</em> spp., para el departamento de Cesar. Los insectos fueron colectados con dos trampas de luz tipo CDC, equipadas con LED de color azul, en el Balneario Hurtado de la ciudad de Valledupar, Cesar. Se recolectaron en total 50 flebotomíneos, los cuales estuvieron representados por las especies <em>Lutzomyia cayennensis</em> <em>cayennensis</em> (38 %), <em>L. evansi</em> (28 %), <em>L. trinidadensis</em> (14 %), <em>L. venezuelensis</em> (10 %), <em>L. micropyga</em> (6 %) y <em>L. rangeliana</em> (2 %). Como primeros registros para el departamento sobresalen <em>L. evansi</em>, <em>L. venezuelensis</em>, <em>L. micropyga</em> y <em>L. </em><em>rangeliana</em>, con lo que se eleva a ocho el número de especies reportadas hasta la fecha en el Cesar. Entre los nuevos registros se destaca el hallazgo de <em>L. evansi</em>, reconocido vector de <em>Leishmania</em> spp. en la Costa Caribe de Colombia. </p><p><strong>New Records of Species of <em>Lutzomyia</em> (Diptera: Psychodidae) From the Department of Cesar, Colombia</strong></p><p>Studies of the insects associated with the epidemiological cycle of leishmaniasis on the Caribbean coast of Colombia have been focused on the departments of Sucre and Córdoba. The phlebotomine sand fly fauna of the rest of the Caribbean region remains little known. In the present study four species of the genus <em>Lutzomyia</em> are reported from the department of Cesar for the first time. Sand flies were sampled using two CDC light traps with blue color LEDs at Balneario Hurtado, a tourist area in the city of Valledupar. A total of 50 phlebotomine sand flies were collected, of which the species <em>Lutzomyia cayennensis cayennensis</em> (38 % of the sample) and <em>L. trinidadensis</em> (14 %) were already known from the departament. Specimens of <em>L. evansi</em> (28 %), <em>L. venezuelensis</em> (10 %), <em>L. micropyga</em> (6 %) and <em>L. rangeliana</em> (2 %) represent the first records of these species for Cesar, raising the number of known occurrences from the department to eight species. Noteworthy among the new records is the sandfly <em>L. evansi</em>, recognized vector de <em>Leishmania</em> spp. in the Colombian Caribbean coast.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Silva Lana ◽  
Érika Monteiro Michalsky ◽  
Consuelo Latorre Fortes-Dias ◽  
João Carlos França-Silva ◽  
Fabiana de Oliveira Lara-Silva ◽  
...  

In the New World, the leishmaniases are primarily transmitted to humans through the bites ofLeishmania-infectedLutzomyia(Diptera: Psychodidae) phlebotomine sand flies. Any or both of two basic clinical forms of these diseases are endemic to several cities in Brazil—the American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) and the American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). The present study was conducted in the urban area of a small-sized Brazilian municipality (Jaboticatubas), in which three cases of AVL and nine of ACL have been reported in the last five years. Jaboticatubas is an important tourism hub, as it includes a major part of the Serra do Cipó National Park. Currently, no local data is available on the entomological fauna or circulatingLeishmania. During the one-year period of this study, we captured 3,104 phlebotomine sand flies belonging to sixteenLutzomyiaspecies. In addition to identifying incriminated or suspected vectors of ACL with DNA of the etiological agent of AVL and vice versa, we also detectedLeishmaniaDNA in unexpectedLutzomyiaspecies. The expressive presence of vectors and naturalLeishmaniainfection indicates favorable conditions for the spreading of leishmaniases in the vicinity of the Serra do Cipó National Park.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Gaglio ◽  
Ettore Napoli ◽  
Francesca Arfuso ◽  
Jessica Maria Abbate ◽  
Salvatore Giannetto ◽  
...  

Light traps represent the most used attractive system to collect and monitor phlebotomine sand flies. Recent studies have suggested that light traps can be easily upgraded by the use of light-emitting diode (LED) with positive effects on trap design, weight, and battery life. However, scant data on the effect of different LED colours on the attractiveness to phlebotomine sand fly species are available in literature. In this study, the capture performances of light traps equipped with different LED colours on phlebotomine sand fly species indigenous in the Mediterranean area were evaluated. Phlebotomine sand fly collections were performed using a classical light trap (CLT), equipped with a traditional incandescent lamp, and five Laika 4.0 light traps supplied, each with LED of different colours and wavelengths: (i) white; (ii) red; (iii) green; (iv) blue; (v) UV. Light traps were set for three consecutive nights fortnightly from May to October 2017 and climate data recorded using a meteorological station. A total of 411 phlebotomine sand flies (191 males and 220 females), belonging to three different species, namely, Phlebotomus perniciosus (n= 298, 141 males and 157 females), Sergentomyia minuta (n=110, 48 males and 62 females), and Phlebotomus neglectus (n=3, 2 males and 1 females) were collected. Abundance of capture was influenced by colours of LED and time. The highest number of phlebotomine sand flies was captured on June (P<0.01) and by UV LED (P<0.01). As regard to species, P. perniciosus was mainly captured by UV LED on June (P<0.01). No effect of time (P>0.05) or LED colour (P>0.05) was recorded for S. minuta and P. neglectus. According to the results of the present study light trap equipped with UV LED can represent an effective tool for the capture of sand fly species in the Mediterranean area.


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.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 731
Author(s):  
Anahí G. Díaz ◽  
Paula G. Ragone ◽  
Fanny Rusman ◽  
Noelia Floridia-Yapur ◽  
Rubén M. Barquez ◽  
...  

Trypanosomes are a group of parasitic flagellates with medical and veterinary importance. Despite many species having been described in this genus, little is known about many of them. Here, we report a genetic and morphological characterization of trypanosomatids isolated from wild mammals from the Argentine Chaco region. Parasites were morphologically and ultrastructurally characterized by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, 18s rRNA and gGAPDH genes were sequenced and analyzed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Morphological characterization showed clear characteristics associated with the Trypanosoma genus. The genetic characterization demonstrates that the studied isolates have identical sequences and a pairwise identity of 99% with Trypanosoma lainsoni, which belongs to the clade of lizards and snakes/rodents and marsupials. To date, this species had only been found in the Amazon region. Our finding represents the second report of T. lainsoni and the first record for the Chaco region. Furthermore, we ultrastructurally described for the first time the species. Finally, the host range of T. lainsoni was expanded (Leopardus geoffroyi, Carenivora, Felidae; and Calomys sp., Rodentia, Cricetidae), showing a wide host range for this species.


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