Leishmaniasis is a "neglected tropical disease" and serious public health issue in Brazil. While dogs are recognized as particularly important reservoirs, recent reports of domestic cats infected with Leishmania sp. in urban areas suggest their participation in the epidemiological chain of the parasite in endemic areas. The aim of this study was to screen domestic cats for Leishmania sp. infection in an area where human and canine visceral leishmaniasis are endemic, followed by the identification of the species circulating in cats. We collected peripheral blood, lymph-node aspirates and bone marrow from 100 adult animals, both male and female, and analyzed the samples using cytological and molecular (PCR) detection techniques. We detected Leishmania in 6% of animals, which were then analyzed by RFLP-PCR to identify the species. Leishmania infantum (synonym: L. chagasi), a species responsible for visceral leishmaniasis in humans and other animals, was identified from all six samples. Amastigotes were observed in the peripheral blood, bone marrow and lymph-node aspirates in 4 of the 6 PCR-positive animals. The presence of infected cats in endemic areas should not be neglected, because it demonstrates the potential role of these animals in the biological cycle of the pathogen.

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Neotropical realm. Its taxonomic status has been widely discussed once it encompasses a complex of species. The knowledge about the genetic structure of insect vector populations helps the elucidation of components and interactions of the disease ecoepidemiology. Thus, the objective of this study was to genotypically analyze populations of the Lu. longipalpis complex from a macrogeographic perspective using Next Generation Sequencing. Polymorphism analysis of three molecular markers was used to access the levels of population genetic structure among nine different populations of sand flies. Illumina Amplicon Sequencing Protocol® was used to identify possible polymorphic sites. The library was sequenced on paired-end Illumina MiSeq platform. Significant macrogeographical population differentiation was observed among Lu. longipalpis populations via PCA and DAPC analyses. Our results revealed that populations of Lu. longipalpis from the nine municipalities were grouped into three clusters. In addition, it was observed that the levels of Lu. longipalpis population structure could be associated with distance isolation. This new sequencing method allowed us to study different molecular markers after a single sequencing run, and to evaluate population and inter-species differences on a macrogeographic scale.