A multifaceted molecular approach to surveillance of leishmaniasis: Identification of sand fly species, Leishmania parasites, and blood meal sources using high-resolution melting analysis.

ABSTRACT: Leishmaniasis is a significant public health concern in large parts of the world including Israel, with limited diagnostic tools available for effective surveillance and control. Traditional methods for sand fly species identification, Leishmania detection, and blood meal analysis are time-consuming and prone to errors. To address these challenges, this study aimed to develop PCR-high resolution melt (HRM) assays to accurately determine sand fly species, Leishmania infection and blood meal sources in sand flies. Field-collected sand flies from all regions of Israel were used for the validation of three PCR-HRM assays. These included 254 sand fly males and females identified morphologically for species verification; 1,120 unfed females for Leishmania detection, and 538 engorged females for

SUBMITTER: Studentsky L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12503242 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature