Biology of the Leishmania−Sand Fly Interaction

Pimenta, Paulo Filemon Paolucci; Freitas, Vanessa Cabreira de; Monteiro, Carolina Cunha; Pires, Ana Clara Machado Araújo; Secundino, Nágila Francinete Costa

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-75544-1_6

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania Ross, 1903, which is transmitted by the biting of infected female insects belonging to the subfamily phlebotominae (Pimenta et al, 2018). Specifically, phlebotomine sand flies are dipteran insects of the family Psychodidae, subfamily Phlebotominae, distinctive for their hematophagous habits .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Win by Quantity: a Striking Rickettsia-Bias Symbiont Community Revealed by Seasonal Tracking in the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

et al. 2020

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Molecular Detection of Endosymbionts in Phlebotomines and Temperature Preference Estimation and Its Relation with Microbiota with Emphasis onLutzomyia longipalpisDue to climate change, there is an increase in tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis, transmitted by some species of the genus Lutzomyia, as Lutzomyia longipalpis, vector of Leishmania infantum in America. In addition, the microbiota of insects is known to play a role in their immunity, directly impacting their vector competence to transmit pathogens.This justifies the need to explore the composition of the microbiota, the presence of endosymbionts and their potential relationship with temperature variations in Lu.longipalpis. For this reason, the molecular detection of Arsenophonus was conducted in populations of wild phlebotomines of Lu. longipalpis, Pintomyia evansi and Psychodopygus panamensis from Colombia. Subsequently, with a device with temperature gradient "MB-Thermocline", it was evaluated the temperature preference of Lu. longipalpis, Pi. evansi while populations of Aedes aegypti were used as a control in the assay. The PCR results showed the presence of Arsenophonus and interspecific differences (p-value < 0.05) were observed between phlebotomines, specifically between 25 °C and 31 °C where there was a greater abundance of Pi. evansi found in such compartments, however both species showed a marked preference towards the temperature of 21-23 °C, while Ae. aegypti prefered temperatures between 27-29 °C.Representative groups of Lu. longipalpis that presented temperature preference (phenotypes) in each compartment of the device, were used to perform an analysis of the microbiota using New Generation Sequencing techniques. The analysis of the microbiota of these groups shows that the communities have a significantly different taxonomic structure between temperature ranges (p-value < 0.013), the most abundant genera were

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Win by Quantity: a Striking Rickettsia-Bias Symbiont Community Revealed by Seasonal Tracking in the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

et al. 2020

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to other parasitic diseases, Leishmania parasites are found in wild and domestic reservoir hosts, which are located across South and Central America, and are picked up by sandfly females during their blood meal before laying eggs [2, 8, 9]. In the female sandfly gut, the parasite amastigotes develop into promastigotes, which migrate to the salivary glands and spread to other mammals or to humans during subsequent blood meals [2, 8, 9] (Figure 1). Once a human is infected, the incubation period typically lasts around one to ten weeks (but can last many years) in which promastigotes invade local tissues and transform into amastigotes, entering macrophages through phagocytosis [2, 8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data-Driven Predictions of Potential Leishmania Vectors in Latin America

Vadmal

Glidden

Han

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The incidence of vector-borne diseases is rising as deforestation, climate change, and globalization bring humans in contact with arthropods that can transmit pathogens. In particular, incidence of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL), a parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies, is increasing as previously intact habitats are cleared for agriculture and urban areas, potentially bringing people into contact with vectors and reservoir hosts. Previous evidence has identified dozens of sandfly species that have been infected with and/or transmit Leishmania parasites. However, there is an incomplete understanding of which sandfly species transmit the parasite, complicating efforts to limit disease spread. Here, we apply machine learning models (boosted regression trees) to leverage biological and geographical traits of known sandfly vectors to predict potential vectors. Additionally, we generate trait profiles of confirmed vectors and identify important factors in transmission. Our model performed well with an average out of sample accuracy of 86%. The models predict that synanthropic sandflies living in areas with greater canopy height, less human modification, and within an optimal range of rainfall are more likely to be Leishmania vectors. We also observed that generalist sandflies that are able to inhabit many different ecoregions are more likely to transmit the parasite. Our results suggest that Psychodopygus amazonensis and Nyssomia antunesi are unidentified potential vectors, and should be the focus of sampling and research efforts. Overall, we found that our machine learning approach provides valuable information for Leishmania surveillance and management in an otherwise complex and data sparse system.Author SummaryAmerican Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) is a neglected parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies in Latin America. There is an incomplete understanding of which sandfly species transmit the parasite, complicating efforts to limit disease spread. In this study, the authors created a database of sandfly traits, then used predictive models to determine important factors in disease transmission and how different climate and environmental variables affect ACL transmission. The models suggest that transmission occurs at the interface between domestic habitats and well-preserved forests. The authors also generate predictions of which sandflies might be transmitting the parasite that are not known vectors at the time, specifically Psychodopygus amazonensis and Nyssomia antunesi. This new knowledge can lead to a better understanding of the system of transmission, and can point to possible hotspots of the disease. The analysis can also help direct researchers to areas of interest for sampling studies, as well as specific sandflies to focus their effort on.

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“…Adult phlebotomines of both sexes feed on carbohydrates, which they use as an energy source; only the females feed on blood, which provides essential proteins for the development and maturation of eggs [ 2 – 5 ]. Thus, the transmission of Leishmania parasites is carried out by females, and requires at least two blood meals, of which the first is from an infected reservoir host [ 2 , 6 – 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial blood-feeding of phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae): is it time to repurpose biological membranes in light of ethical concerns?

et al. 2022

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Background The aims of the present study were to evaluate and compare the efficacy of blood-feeding in phlebotomines through industrially processed membranes from the small intestine of pigs (used for the production of commercial sausages) and the skin of euthanized chicks. Methods Laboratory-bred Lutzomyia longipalpis and different field-caught phlebotomine species were subjected to the artificial feeding systems under similar conditions. Paired tests were performed using the control (skin from euthanized chicks) and test membranes (pig small intestine). The feeding rates were compared by paired t-test, and Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between the thickness of the membranes and feeding rate. Results The feeding rate was greater with the test membrane than with the control membrane for L. longipalpis (t-test, t = −3.3860, P = 0.0054) but not for the most frequent field-caught species, Nyssomyia antunesi (t-test, t = 0.7746, P = 0.4535). The average thicknesses of the control and test membranes were 184 ± 83 µm and 34 ± 12 µm, respectively (Mann–Whitney U-test, U = 0.00, Z = 2.8823, P = 0.0039); however, there was no correlation between feeding rate and membrane thickness. A moderate positive correlation was observed between the number of phlebotomines that fed and the total number of phlebotomines in the cage for each type of membrane and for each species. Conclusions The test membrane is a viable alternative for the artificial blood-feeding of phlebotomines, and is thus a potential substitute for the skin of animals that are euthanized for this purpose. Feeding rate was independent of membrane thickness. Graphical Abstract

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Biology of the Leishmania−Sand Fly Interaction

Cited by 6 publications

References 91 publications

Win by Quantity: a Striking Rickettsia-Bias Symbiont Community Revealed by Seasonal Tracking in the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Win by Quantity: a Striking Rickettsia-Bias Symbiont Community Revealed by Seasonal Tracking in the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci

Data-Driven Predictions of Potential Leishmania Vectors in Latin America

Artificial blood-feeding of phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae): is it time to repurpose biological membranes in light of ethical concerns?

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