The sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of the urban area of Lassance, Northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil

The present study aimed to check the sand flies’ fauna on the municipality of Lassance, Minas Gerais, Brazil and detect the presence of Leishmania DNA on the female captured and determine the risk areas of the municipality. Sand flies were collected monthly from May 2018 to April 2019 using automatic light traps for 3 consecutive nights. Eight houses were selected as sample points due its previous reports of tegumentary leishmaniasis and/or canine leishmaniasis. The sand fly’s fauna found on the present study it’s represented by several medical importance species and the most abundant species found were Lutzomyia longipalpis (77.09%) and Nyssomyia intermedia (10.06%). Leishmania infantum DNA was detected in a pool of Lu. longipalpis resulting on a 2.81% of infection rate. By the frequency of the two most abundant species on this study, we developed a risk area map and it draws attention to sample point 6 due to disparate abundance of sand flies at this site (81.81%). Statistical overview shows Lu. longipalpis as dominant species and, still, Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling analysis reveal high similarity on fauna’s diversity on the study area. Our findings suggest that the diversity of sand flies from the municipality of Lassance may promote the circulation of Leishmania infantum parasites putting in risk the habitants and other mammal’s species. Still, our study reinforces the necessity of specific studies focused on breed sites of phlebotomine and its’ ecology to expand the knowledge about the behaviour of this group of insects applying directly to leishmaniases’ epidemiology.

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Similarity of species composition of sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in caves of Quadrilátero Ferrífero, state Minas Gerais, Brasil

10.1101/703231 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Aldenise Martins Campos ◽

Rodrigo dos Anjos Maia ◽

Débora Capucci ◽

Adriano Pereira Paglia ◽

José Dilermando Andrade Filho

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Dissimilarity Matrix ◽

Phlebotomine Sand Flies ◽

Quadrilátero Ferrífero

AbstractCaves, though seemingly inhospitable due to the lack of light in areas furthest from the cave entrance and the low availability and variety of resources, can harbor many species of vertebrates and invertebrates, including phlebotomine sand flies, the vectors of species of parasites of the genus Leishmania that cause leishmaniasis. This study aimed to evaluate the species composition of sand flies in located caves at Moeda Sul (MS) and Parque Estadual Serra do Rola Moça (PESRM), in southeastern Brazil at region of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, state of Minas Gerais. The collections of sand flies were performed with automatic light traps. Were used the Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling based on dissimilarity matrix calculated with the Jaccard índex and Multivariate Analysis of Permutation to evaluate similarity of the species composition of sand flies among entrance, interior, and surroundings environments of each sampled cave at MS and PESRM, and thus to infer biological mechanisms from the patterns of distribution of sand flies among these different cave environments. A total of 375 phlebotomine sand flies were collected from six genera and 14 species. The most abundant species were Evandromyia tupynambai (54.7%), Brumptomyia troglodytes (25.6%), Evandromyia edwardsi, (6.1%) Psathyromyia brasiliensis (4.8%) and Lutzomyia longipalpis (4.3%). In place MS, 30 individuals were collected, 16 inside the MS cave and 14 its surroundings. In place PESRM, five individuals were collected in surroundings of RM38 cave; a total of 190 individuals at RM39 cave (48 in the cave and 142 its surroundings) and 150 individuals at RM40 cave, 42 in the cave and 108 its surroundings. Our results showed rich fauna of sand flies with a species composition of sand flies similar among the entrance, interior, and surroundings environments of each sampled cave, suggesting that both caves and their surroundings are important for the maintenance of sand fly communities.

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Odour of domestic dogs infected with Leishmania infantum is attractive to female but not male sand flies: Evidence for parasite manipulation

PLoS Pathogens ◽

10.1371/journal.ppat.1009354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. e1009354

Author(s):

Monica E. Staniek ◽

James G. C. Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Leishmania Infantum ◽

Etiologic Agent ◽

Human Infection ◽

T Test ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Control Female ◽

Behavioural Experiments ◽

Paired T Test

Globally visceral leishmaniasis (VL) causes thousands of human deaths every year. In South America, the etiologic agent, Leishmania infantum, is transmitted from an infected canine reservoir to human hosts by the bite of the sand fly vector; predominantly Lutzomyia longipalpis. Previous evidence from model rodent systems have suggested that the odour of infected hosts is altered by the parasite making them more attractive to the vector leading to an increased biting rate and improved transmission prospects for the pathogen. However, there has been no assessment of the effect of Le infantum infection on the attractiveness of dogs, which are the natural reservoirs for human infection. Hair collected from infected and uninfected dogs residing in a VL endemic city in Brazil was entrained to collect the volatile chemical odours present in the headspace. Female and male Lu. longipalpis sand flies were offered a choice of odour entrained from infected and uninfected dogs in a series of behavioural experiments. Odour of uninfected dogs was equally attractive to male or female Lu. longipalpis when compared to a solvent control. Female Lu. longipalpis were significantly more attracted to infected dog odour than uninfected dog odour in all 15 experimental replicates (average 45.7±0.87 females attracted to infected odour; 23.9±0.82 to uninfected odour; paired T-test, P = 0.000). Male Lu. longipalpis did not significantly prefer either infected or uninfected odour (average 36.1±0.4 males to infected odour; 35.7±0.6 to uninfected odour; paired T-test, P = 0.722). A significantly greater proportion of females chose the infected dog odour compared to the males (paired T-test, P = 0.000). The results showed that the odour of dogs infected with Le. infantum was significantly more attractive to blood-seeking female sand flies than it was to male sand flies. This is strong evidence for parasite manipulation of the host odour in a natural transmission system and indicates that infected dogs may have a disproportionate significance in maintaining infection in the canine and human population.

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Leishmania infantum Infection Modulates the Jak-STAT Pathway in Lutzomyia longipalpis LL5 Embryonic Cells and Adult Females, and Affects Parasite Growth in the Sand Fly

Frontiers in Tropical Diseases ◽

10.3389/fitd.2021.747820 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Erich Loza Telleria ◽

Daisy Aline Azevedo-Brito ◽

Barbora Kykalová ◽

Bruno Tinoco-Nunes ◽

André Nóbrega Pitaluga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Post Infection ◽

Leishmania Infantum ◽

Janus Kinase ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Embryonic Cells ◽

Adult Females ◽

Parasite Survival ◽

Stat Pathway

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) belonging to the Lutzomyia genus transmit zoonoses in the New World. Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of Leishmania infantum, which is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil. To identify key molecular aspects involved in the interaction between vector and pathogens and contribute to developing disease transmission controls, we investigated the sand fly innate immunity mediated by the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (Jak-STAT) pathway in response to L. infantum infection. We used two study models: L. longipalpis LL5 embryonic cells co-cultured with L. infantum and sand fly females artificially infected with the parasite. We used qPCR to follow the L. longipalpis gene expression of molecules involved in the Jak-STAT pathway. Also, we modulated the Jak-STAT mediated immune response to understand its role in Leishmania parasite infection. For that, we used RNAi to silence the pathway regulators, protein inhibitor of activated STATs (PIAS) in LL5 cells, and STAT in adult females. In addition, the pathway suppression effect on parasite development within the vector was assessed by light microscopy in late-phase infection. The silencing of the repressor PIAS in LL5 cells led to a moderate increase in a protein tyrosine phosphatase 61F (PTP61F) expression. It suggests a compensatory regulation between these two repressors. L. infantum co-culture with LL5 cells upregulated repressors PIAS, suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS), and PTP61F. It also downmodulated virus-induced RNA-1 (VIR-1), a pathway effector, indicating that the parasite could repress the Jak-STAT pathway in LL5 cells. In Leishmania-infected L. longipalpis females, STAT and the antimicrobial peptide attacin were downregulated on the third day post-infection, suggesting a correlation that favors the parasite survival at the end of blood digestion in the sand fly. The antibiotic treatment of infected females showed that the reduction of gut bacteria had little effect on the Jak-STAT pathway regulation. STAT gene silencing mediated by RNAi reduced the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and favored Leishmania growth in sand flies on the first day post-infection. These results indicate that STAT participated in the iNOS regulation with subsequent effect on parasite survival.

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Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in Pintomyia evansi and Lutzomyia longipalpis in Honduras

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-04462-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wilfredo Sosa-Ochoa ◽

Javier Varela Amador ◽

Yokomi Lozano-Sardaneta ◽

Gabriela Rodriguez Segura ◽

Concepcion Zúniga Valeriano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Coast ◽

First Record ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Central American ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Endemic Region ◽

Transmission Cycle ◽

The Pacific

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.

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Evaluation of a dinotefuran-permethrin-pyriorixyfen insect repellent in dogs exposed to experimental infestations of sand flies (Lutzomyia longipalpis)

Clínica Veterinária ◽

10.46958/rcv.2018.xxiii.n.136.p.58-73 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol XXIII (136) ◽

pp. 58-73

Author(s):

Bruna Cerruti de Godoi ◽

Sandra Fernandez ◽

Paula Bandiera Leite ◽

Sidimar Sossai ◽

Leonardo Pinto Brandão ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Urban Areas ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Canine Leishmaniasis ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Major Player ◽

High Incidence ◽

Receive Treatment ◽

And Control

Visceral leishmaniasis is a serious zoonosis, and has a high incidence in Brazil. The ubiquitous presence of sand flies is a major player in the high incidence of leishmaniasis in urban areas of Brazil. Prevention and control or canine leishmaniasis is important to decrease the incidence of the zoonosis. Control is done with topical use of products with antiparasitic, repellent and insecticide action. This study evaluated the repellent efficacy of line-on application of a topical permethrin-dinotefuran-pyriproxyfen formulation in dogs. Six dogs were treated with the product and six did not receive treatment. All dogs were sedated and exposed to sand flies of the species Lutzomyia longipalpis weekly for 28 days. The result showed that the product had an efficacy of 90.4% in repelling sand flies. There was statistical significance (p ≤ 0,05) difference in the number (mean) of live engorged sand fly females between the two groups in all evaluations. The product showed repellent efficacy against Lutzomyia longipalpis for 28 days.

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Assessment of sand fly (Diptera, Psychodidae) control using cypermethrin in an endemic area for visceral leishmaniasis, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/s0102-311x2011001100005 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 27 (11) ◽

pp. 2117-2123 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Ricardo Andrade Barata ◽

Erika Monteiro Michalsky ◽

Ricardo Toshio Fujiwara ◽

João Carlos França-Silva ◽

Marília Fonseca Rocha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Visceral Leishmaniasis ◽

Endemic Area ◽

Residual Effect ◽

Minas Gerais ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Light Traps ◽

Minas Gerais State ◽

Transmission Area

Montes Claros in Minas Gerais State, Brazil, was considered an intense transmission area for visceral leishmaniasis. This study evaluated sand fly fauna after insecticide application. Captures were performed in 10 districts from September 2005 to August 2006 with CDC light traps inside and outside each residence. Cypermethrin was sprayed in two cycles during November/2005 and May/2006. The 636 specimens collected, belonging to 10 species, were predominantly Lutzomyia longipalpis (79%), and most frequently males (70%). The highest percentage of specimens were captured in areas surrounding domiciles (85.8%). The main species were observed to be sensitive to treatment with the insecticide. The results showed a reduction in the number of sand flies collected after use of cypermethrin in homes and annexes, and with residual effect lasting from two to four months.

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Diversity of sand flies in domiciliary environment of Santarém, state of Pará, Brazil: species composition and abundance patterns in rural and urban areas

Acta Amazonica ◽

10.1590/s0044-59672012000400008 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 507-514 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Marlisson Augusto Costa Feitosa ◽

Genimar Rebouças Julião ◽

Manoel Djalma Pereira Costa ◽

Braulio Belém ◽

Felipe Arley Costa Pessoa

Keyword(s):

Rural Area ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lower Amount ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Rural And Urban Areas ◽

Rural And Urban

This paper aimed to evaluate the richness, abundance and frequency of sand fly occurrence in rural and urban areas American visceral Leishmaniasis -AVL is endemic in the study area of Santarém municipality, Pará state. Sand flies were collected during 1995-2000, using CDC light traps placed in neighborhoods and rural areas of the municipality. A total of 53.454 individuals and 26 species of sand flies were collected. The most abundant species in both urban and rural environments was Lutzomyia longipalpis, vector of AVL in the area. The highest species richness by capture was in rural area. In all years sampled, the largest number of species of sand fly collected was always in rural areas. The species of sand flies in urban and rural area were similar in 11 species. In the rural area other 11 species were found, a total of 22 species. Shannon-Wiener index ranged from 0.12 to 0.84 at rural areas and 0.08 to 0.34 at urban ones. In general, rural localities showed higher diversity (H') of phlebotomines than urban ones. Individual-based rarefaction curves for each area demonstrated that urban localities had the lowest expected number of phlebotomine species and the richest rural ones reach higher expected values with lower amount of individuals than urban sites. The most frequent species were Lutzomyia longipalpis, Evandromyia carmelinoi and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata.

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Insecticide-impregnated netting as a potential surface treatment: an alternative to insecticide spraying for control of the leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae)?

10.21203/rs.3.rs-52839/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Vanessa Barbosa ◽

Cristian F Souza ◽

Derek Gatherer ◽

Reginaldo P Brazil ◽

James Gordon Campbell Hamilton

Keyword(s):

Aggregation Pheromone ◽

Leishmania Infantum ◽

Intervention Studies ◽

Potential Surface ◽

Lower Proportion ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Synthetic Pheromone ◽

Canine Infection

Abstract Background: The sand fly, Lutzomyia longipalpis, is the main vector of Leishmania infantum in Brazil. A previous laboratory study showed that covering surfaces with insecticide-impregnated netting may provide an alternative method for killing sand flies. Synthetic male Lu. longipalpis sex/aggregation pheromone co-located with micro-encapsulated l-cyhalothrin demonstrated the potential of “lure-and-kill” to significantly reduce canine infection and sand fly densities. In this study we were interested to determine if insecticide impregnated netting could replace sprayed insecticide for Lu. longipalpis control.Methods: We placed synthetic pheromone in experimental and real chicken sheds treated with a 1m2 surface of either sprayed insecticide or insecticide-impregnated netting. Two experiments in experimental chicken sheds were carried out to determine the effect of the insecticide treatments on Lu. longipalpis over 1-week and 16-week periods. We counted the number of Lu. longipalpis collected overnight and dead at 24 hours. Two longitudinal intervention studies were carried in real chicken sheds and compared the numbers of Lu. longipalpis (collected and dead at 24h) before adding the intervention (either the netting or sprayed insecticide treatments) with the numbers collected 24h after the intervention. Results: In the first experiment all flies caught in the spray treated experimental chicken sheds were dead at 24 hours and in netting treated sheds 97% of females and 88% of males were dead at 24 hours (257 vs 225, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test P=0.043). The netting and spray treated traps were equally effective at killing both female and male Lu. longipalpis over the first 8-weeks however after 16-weeks both treatments killed a significantly lower proportion of females (64%vs 96%; P=0.000) and males 89%vs 100%; P=0.000) compared to the beginning. In the first of the longitudinal studies in real chicken sheds only the netting intervention significantly increased the proportion of females dead after 24h (60%vs81%; P=0.042). The subsequent study showed that both netting and spraying treatments had similarly significant impacts on the proportion of females dead after 24h (netting: 60%vs80%: P=0.0194 and spraying: 43%vs72%: P=0.0004).Conclusions: The netting and spray insecticide interventions (with synthetic sex/aggregation pheromone) have similar impacts on the Lu. longipalpis population.

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Detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in Pintomyia evansi and Lutzomyia longipalpis in an endemic area of Non-ulcerative cutaneous leishmaniasis from Honduras

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36505/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wilfredo Humberto Sosa-Ochoa ◽

Javier Varela Amador ◽

Yokomi N Lozano-Sardaneta ◽

Gabriela Rodriguez Segura ◽

Concepcion Zúniga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽

Leishmania Infantum ◽

Endemic Area ◽

Natural Infection ◽

First Record ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Endemic Region ◽

Transmission Cycle

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

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Leishmania infantum xenodiagnosis from vertically infected dogs reveals significant skin tropism

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽

10.1371/journal.pntd.0009366 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (10) ◽

pp. e0009366

Author(s):

Breanna M. Scorza ◽

Kurayi G. Mahachi ◽

Arin C. Cox ◽

Angela J. Toepp ◽

Adam Leal-Lima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Leishmania Infantum ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Parasite Burden ◽

Parasite Load ◽

Sand Fly ◽

Lutzomyia Longipalpis ◽

Sand Flies ◽

Feeding Site ◽

Transmission Potential

Background Dogs are the primary reservoir for human visceral leishmaniasis due to Leishmania infantum. Phlebotomine sand flies maintain zoonotic transmission of parasites between dogs and humans. A subset of dogs is infected transplacentally during gestation, but at what stage of the clinical spectrum vertically infected dogs contribute to the infected sand fly pool is unknown. Methodology/Principal findings We examined infectiousness of dogs vertically infected with L. infantum from multiple clinical states to the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis using xenodiagnosis and found that vertically infected dogs were infectious to sand flies at differing rates. Dogs with mild to moderate disease showed significantly higher transmission to the vector than dogs with subclinical or severe disease. We documented a substantial parasite burden in the skin of vertically infected dogs by RT-qPCR, despite these dogs not having received intradermal parasites via sand flies. There was a highly significant correlation between skin parasite burden at the feeding site and sand fly parasite uptake. This suggests dogs with high skin parasite burden contribute the most to the infected sand fly pool. Although skin parasite load and parasitemia correlated with one another, the average parasite number detected in skin was significantly higher compared to blood in matched subjects. Thus, dermal resident parasites were infectious to sand flies from dogs without detectable parasitemia. Conclusions/Significance Together, our data implicate skin parasite burden and earlier clinical status as stronger indicators of outward transmission potential than blood parasite burden. Our studies of a population of dogs without vector transmission highlights the need to consider canine vertical transmission in surveillance and prevention strategies.

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