Assessing Wolbachia circulation in wild populations of phlebotomine sand flies from Spain and Morocco: implications for control of leishmaniasis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Vector-borne diseases such as leishmaniasis exert a huge burden of morbidity and mortality that are mainly controlled through vector control. The increasing threat of insecticide-resistant vectors entails incorporating more vector control interventions to eliminate these diseases. Introduction of Wolbachia into wild vector populations has been suggested as a potential vector control measure that would require extensive regional knowledge. The aim of this work is to estimate the prevalence of Wolbachia infection and monitor circulating strains in wild sand fly populations from Spain and Morocco, two countries where leishmaniasis is endemic.

Methods

Wolbachia was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Haplotype diversity was performed by sequencing, and phy

SUBMITTER: Torres-Llamas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12032678 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature