Aerobic midgut microbiota of sand fly vectors of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis from northern Iran, a step toward finding potential paratransgenic candidates.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania parasites and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected sand flies. Development of Leishmania to infective metacyclic promastigotes occurs within the sand fly gut where the gut microbiota influences development of the parasite. Paratransgenesis is a new control method in which symbiotic bacteria are isolated, transformed and reintroduced into the gut through their diet to express anti-parasitic molecules. In the present study, the midgut microbiota of three sand fly species from a steppe and a mountainous region of northern Iran, where zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) is endemic, was investigated.

Methods

Briefly, adult female sand flies was collected during summer 2015 and, after dissection, the bacterial com

SUBMITTER: Karimian F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6322272 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature