Feeding Preferences ofLutzomyia longipalpis(Diptera: Psychodidae), the Sand Fly Vector, forLeishmania infantum(Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae)

Abstract

Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Brazil, is spread mostly by the bite of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva). We trapped sand flies in endemic neighborhoods near Natal, Brazil, where cases of human and dog VL were documented. Amplification of species-specific cytochrome b (Cyt b) genes by polymerase chain reaction revealed that sand flies from rural and periurban areas harbored blood from different sources. The most common source of bloodmeal was human, but blood from dog, chicken, and armadillo was also present. We tested the preference for a source of bloodmeal experimentally by feeding L. longipalpis F1 with blood from different animals. There were significant differences between the proportion of flies engorged and number of eggs laid among flies fed on different sources, varying from 8.4 to 19 (P < 0.0001). Blood from guinea pig or horse was best to support sand fly oviposition, but human blood also supported sand fly oviposition well. No sand flies fed on cats, and sand flies feeding on the opossum Monodelphis domestica Wagner produced no eggs. These data support the hypothesis that L. longipalpis is an eclectic feeder, and humans are an important source of blood for this sand fly species in periurban areas of Brazil.

Risk factors for the expansion of cutaneous leishmaniasis by Leishmania tropica : Possible implications for control programmes

“…Nonetheless, most sandfly species for which information is available ( P. ariasi, P. perniciosus, P. perfiliewi, P. papatasi, Lutzomyia longipalpis, etc .) appear to be generalists (González et al., ; Guy, Killick‐Kendrick, Gill, Rioux, & Bray, ; Macedo‐Silva et al., ; Maia et al., ) rather than specialists ( P. sergenti, P. longicuspis ) in their host range (Es‐Sette, Ajaoud, Laamrani‐Idrissi, Mellouki, & Lemrani, ). In this work, human, cat, rabbit and bird blood was detected in blood‐fed P. sergenti females showing that P. sergenti fed not only on human but also on a wide range of animals.…”

Identification of phlebotomine sand fly blood meals by real-time PCR

“…For instance, in a study conducted in Belém (Pará, Brazil), Lutzomyia flaviscutellata was the predominant species reported to bite rodents [ 3 ]. Nonetheless, most sand fly species for which information is available appear to be generalists rather than specialists in their host range [ 4 - 8 ]. This is the case of Lutzomyia longipalpis , the most important vector of Leishmania infantum in the Americas [ 9 ], making the host choice a matter of availability rather than preference.…”

Molecular detection of Leishmania spp. in Brazilian cross‐border south region mammalian hosts

“…infection in domestic reservoirs of Uruguaiana city represents a higher infection rate than that found in a survey in Uruguay (22%) with L. infantum (Satragno & Faral‐Tello, ). The vectors have food preference for dogs and humans (Macedo‐Silva et al, ); however, other mammalian species, including equines, may represent an alternative food source. Visceral leishmaniasis has been investigated in southern Brazil for more than a decade.…”

“…infection in domestic reservoirs of Uruguaiana city represents a higher infection rate than that found in a survey in Uruguay (22%) with L. infantum(Satragno & Faral- Tello, 2017). The vectors have food preference for dogs and humans(Macedo-Silva et al, 2014); however, other mammalian species, in-…”