Diversity, Abundance and Leishmania infantum Infection Rate of Phlebotomine Sandflies in an Area with Low Incidence of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Northern Tunisia.

ABSTRACT: We report the study of sandfly Leishmania infection in an area of low incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in Tunisia. Sandflies were collected monthly using CDC light-traps set in houses and animal shelters during May-November 2016 and 2017. All males were identified at the species level. A sample of 878 females including all gravid specimens was subjected to kDNA qPCR for Leishmania detection and parasite load estimation. Leishmania species were determined by ITS1 PCR sequencing, and species identification of infected sandflies was performed by DNA barcoding. Phlebotomus perfiliewi and P. perniciosus were the dominant species during the two-year period. However, comparison of their relative abundances showed that P. perniciosus was more abundant d

SUBMITTER: Weslati M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9144524 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature