Insights into the transmission cycle of cutaneous leishmaniasis from an endemic community in rural Guatemala.

ABSTRACT: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic vector-borne disease prevalent in 90 countries. Despite its endemicity in Guatemala, key transmission factors are still unknown. To address this, we characterized sand fly populations and Leishmania parasites in a Guatemalan community in 2022. We visited the households of 23 patients with lesions compatible with CL, sampled for sand flies and analysed Leishmania spp. presence in patients' skin scrapings and in collected sand flies. We collected 93 sand flies, predominantly females including the vector species Nyssomyia ylephiletor, Bichromomyia olmeca and Lutzomyia cruciata. Nyssomyia ylephiletor was the most abundant species indoors. Four Leishmania spp. were identified including L. panamensis<

SUBMITTER: Lopez Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11848801 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature