Comparative analysis of the microbiota of sand fly vectors of Leishmania major and L. tropica in a mixed focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeast Tunisia; ecotype shapes the bacterial community structure.

ABSTRACT: Phlebotomine sand flies are vectors of the protozoan parasite Leishmania spp. Although the intestinal microbiota is involved in a wide range of biological and physiological processes and has the potential to alter vector competence, little is known about the impact of host species and environment on the gut microbiome. To address this issue, a comparative analysis of the microbiota of sand fly vector populations of Leishmania major and L. tropica in a mixed focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia was performed. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplification and Illumina MiSeq sequencing were used to characterize and compare the overall bacterial and fungal composition of field-collected sand flies: Phlebotomus papatasi, Ph. perniciosus, Ph. riouxi, and Ph. sergenti. Thirty-eight bacterial gener

SUBMITTER: Tabbabi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11407667 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature