Using iDNA to determine impacts of Amazonian deforestation on Leishmania hosts, vectors, and their interactions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

There is debate concerning whether there exists a generalizable effect of land-use change on zoonotic disease risk. Strong data informing this debate are sparse because it is challenging to establish direct links between hosts, vectors, and pathogens. However, molecular methods using invertebrate-derived DNA (iDNA) can now measure species composition and interactions from vector samples at landscape scales, which has the potential to improve mechanistic understanding of the effects of land-use change on zoonotic disease risk.

Methodology/principal findings

We used iDNA metabarcoding of sandflies to disentangle the relationships between Leishmania parasites, sandfly vectors, and vertebrate hosts. We paired these samples with iDNA metabarcoding of carrion flies to s

SUBMITTER: Massey AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11952761 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature