Preliminary observations of the urbanization and domiciliation of the American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Rio Branco, Acre, Western Amazon

BACKGROUND

The American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is expanding in peri-urban environments.

METHODS

An entomological survey was conducted in the area of the occurrence of an autochthonous urban case of ACL. Sandflies and a parasitological slide of the human case were submitted for molecular diagnosis.

RESULTS

Nyssomyia whitmani and Ny. antunesi were the most frequently collected species. Ny. whitmani and Bichromomyia flaviscutellata were positive for Leishmania guyanensis and L. lainsoni, respectively. The human case tested positive for L. lainsoni.

CONCLUSIONS

Sandflies and Leishmania parasites present in urban forest may occur frequently in nearby domiciliary environments; thus, these areas must be monitored.

Temporal Bet-Hedging in Sand Fly Oviposition: Pharate Phlebotomus papatasi Sand Fly Neonates Regulate Hatching Time in Response to Organic Matter and Proximity to Conspecific Eggs

In phlebotomine sand fly, the topic of the factors stimulating or inhibiting egg hatching has been largely ignored. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that pharate neonate sand flies are able to regulate their hatching time adaptively in response to cues indicative of the presence of food or potential competitors. In this study, we evaluated the independent and combined effects of organic matter (OM) extract and proximity to conspecific eggs on the hatching proportion of Phlebotomus papatasi eggs. In one set of larval rearing jars, we introduced 16 eggs into a small hole in the center of a plaster base of the jar. In another set, we introduced a single egg into each small hole of a 4-by-4 symmetrical array. To one set, we added an aqueous OM extract, and to the other, we added deionized water (DI). OM stimulated egg hatching while egg clustering slightly inhibited egg hatching. Results of this experiment are biologically important because they show, for the first time, that pharate sand fly neonates are able to adaptively regulate their hatching time in response to external cues.

Mitochondrial genomes of two phlebotomine sand flies, Phlebotomus chinensis and Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Nematocera), the first representatives from the family Psychodidae

BACKGROUND

Leishmaniasis is a worldwide but neglected disease of humans and animal transmitted by sand flies, vectors that also transmit other important diseases. Mitochondrial genomes contain abundant information for population genetic and phylogenetic studies, important in disease management. However, the available mitochondrial sequences of these crucial vectors are limited, emphasizing the need for developing more mitochondrial genetic markers.

METHODS

The complete mitochondrial genome of Phlebotomus chinensis was amplified in eight fragments and sequenced using primer walking. The mitochondrial genome of Phlebotomus papatasi was reconstructed from whole-genome sequencing data available on Genbank. The phylogenetic relationship of 24 selected representatives of Diptera was deduced from codon positions 1 and 2 for 13 protein coding genes, using Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods.

RESULTS

We provide the first Phlebotomus (P. chinensis and P. papatasi) mitochondrial genomes. Both genomes contain 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and an A + T-rich region. The gene order of Phlebotomus mitochondrial genomes is identical with the ancestral gene order of insect. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that Psychodidae and Tanyderidae are sister taxa. Potential markers for population genetic study of Phlebotomus species were also revealed.

CONCLUSION

The generated mitochondrial genomes of P. chinensis and P. papatasi represent a useful resource for comparative genomic studies and provide valuable future markers for the population genetic study of these important Leishmania vectors. Our results also preliminary demonstrate the phylogenetic placement of Psychodidae based on their mitochondrial genomes.

Entomological Survey for Sand Fly Fauna in Imamoglu Province (Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Region) of Adana, Turkey

Leishmaniasis, presenting in two clinical forms, cutaneous and visceral in Turkey, is widespread in most of the countries in the Mediterranean Basin. An average of 10 to 13% of cases are reported from Adana every year. This paper presents the results of an entomological survey in an endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Imamoglu province of Adana in Turkey.We collected 654 sand fly specimen using 100 light traps in 20 nights in August 2013 and July 2014. Several keys and previous drawings were used in the identification of the species. In total, six Phlebotomus species were identified; Phlebotomus tobbi (50.3%), Phlebotomus papatasi (34%), Phlebotomus perfiliewi (2.9%), Phlebotomus sergenti (0.4%), Phlebotomus neglectus/syriacus (0.8%), and Sergentomyia spp. (11.5%). In addition, the female/male rate was found to be 0.84.Collected sand flies (44 pools of 1-10 individuals) were analyzed microscopically, and no promastigotes were found in the midgut specimens. Using a genus specific real time-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for simultaneous detection of Old Word Leishmania. We detected only 3 of the 44 pools with Leishmania by genus-specific real-time PCR assay.P. tobbi was found to be dominant species in spite of the differences in sand fly fauna composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study for sand fly fauna including 15 villages where endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Imamoglu, Adana Province, Turkey.