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Investigation of natural infection of Phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) by Leishmania in Tunisian endemic regions.

ABSTRACT: Leishmaniases are caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania transmitted by females blood-feeding phlebotomine insects (Diptera: Psychodidae). In Tunisia, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases are of public health concern. In Tunisia, 17 species of phlebotomine sand flies are described. Here we investigate natural infection in Tunisian mixed foci regions of leishmaniases. We trap female sandflies during the Leishmania transmission season in the country's central-eastern and northern parts. We investigate Leishmania infection using PCR-RFLP targeting the ITS1 ribosomal DNA, followed by enzymatic digestion with HaeIII; then, we identify sand flies using molecular methodologies. We confirm the presence of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus perniciosus infected by L. major and L. infantum parasites in Tunisia.

SUBMITTER: Chaouch M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8091919 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Investigation of natural infection of Phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) by Leishmania in Tunisian endemic regions.

Chaouch Melek M Chaabane Amal A Ayari Chiraz C Ben Othman Souad S Sereno Denis D Chemkhi Jomaa J BenAbderrazak Souha S

Parasite epidemiology and control 20210417

Leishmaniases are caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania transmitted by females blood-feeding phlebotomine insects (Diptera: Psychodidae). In Tunisia, cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases are of public health concern. In Tunisia, 17 species of phlebotomine sand flies are described. Here we investigate natural infection in Tunisian mixed foci regions of leishmaniases. We trap female sandflies during the Leishmania transmission season in the country's central-eastern a ...[more]

PMID: 33997356

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Blood-sucking phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. Different Phlebotomus species transmit different Leishmania species causing leishmaniases which are neglected diseases emerging/reemerging in new regions. Thirteen sand fly species, ten belonging to the medically important genus Phlebotomus and three belonging to Sergentomyia are known in Greece. An increasing number of human and dog cases are reported each year from all parts of the country including the Aegean Islands. However, no previous study has been conducted on the sand fly fauna on the islands, except for Rhodes and Samos. The aim of this study was to investigate sand fly species in eleven small Aegean islands; to understand species-specific relationships with environmental and climatic factors and to compare sand fly community parameters among islands. A risk analysis was carried out for each species using climatic and environmental variables. RESULTS:Nine sand fly species: Phlebotomus neglectus, P. tobbi, P. similis, P. simici, P. perfiliewi, P. alexandri, P. papatasi, Sergentomyia minuta and S. dentata, were collected from the islands studied. Phlebotomus (Adlerius) sp. and Sergentomyia sp. specimens were also collected but not identified to the species level. There was a positive effect of distance from the sea on the abundance of P. neglectus, S. minuta and S. dentata, and a negative effect on the abundance of P. tobbi, P. simici and P. similis. In general, temperature preferences of sand fly populations were between 21 and 29 °C. Nevertheless, there were significant differences in terms of temperature and relative humidity preference ranges among species. The most important species found, P. neglectus, was indisputably the most adapted species in the study area with a very high reaction norm, favoring even the lower temperature and humidity ranges. Overall, the sand fly fauna in the islands was very rich but there were differences in species diversity, as indicated by the values of the Shannon-Wiener index, along with evenness and richness of the sand fly fauna between the islands and altitude ranges in the islands. CONCLUSIONS:The study indicated that the Greek Aegean Islands, however small, maintain a rich sand fly fauna. This includes important vectors of Leishmania spp. representing a risk for parasite transmission to humans and dogs along with the danger of maintaining new Leishmania spp. if introduced to the area.

Dataset Information

Investigation of natural infection of Phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) by Leishmania in Tunisian endemic regions.

Publications

Investigation of natural infection of Phlebotomine (Diptera: Psychodidae) by <i>Leishmania</i> in Tunisian endemic regions.

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