Molecular xenomonitoring and host identification of Leishmania sand fly vectors in a Mediterranean periurban wildlife park

Abstract

The epidemiological cycle of zoonotic phlebotomine‐borne Leishmania infantum is a complex system in which domestic animals and wildlife interact and participate in its maintenance and transmission. In this study, we combined entomological surveillance, xenomonitoring of L. infantum and identification of host feeding sources of engorged females to investigate the potential contribution of a periurban wildlife park to leishmaniosis in neighbouring residential areas. Overall, 7,309 sand flies were collected in 111 trap‐days during the summers of 2016–2018 in an endemic area in south‐east Spain. Five different sand fly species were captured, with Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main L. infantum vector in this region, representing the most common species. Sand fly distribution was spatially heterogeneous in terms of species, sexes and female physiological stage (unfed, gravid and engorged females) and related to host distribution and management, and environmental features. None of the 602 sand flies analysed for L. infantum infection by kinetoplast real‐time PCR were positive. We used molecular tools to identify the vertebrate hosts of sand flies and identified 17 host species, mainly mammals. Human DNA was not identified in engorged sand flies. This study provides evidence that wildlife parks in south‐east Spain are ideal grounds for sand fly vectors but do not necessarily increase L. infantum infection risk to humans and dogs living in surrounding residential areas. This is probably because vectors feed mostly on non‐L. infantum competent hosts and this should be investigated for a better understanding of the contribution of wildlife parks to the local epidemiology of L. infantum.

Leishmania sp. detection and blood‐feeding behaviour of S ergentomyia minuta collected in the human leishmaniasis focus of southwestern Madrid, Spain (2012–2017)

“…Moreover, other mammal blood sources were identified in engorged S. minuta in our study, revealing a possible opportunistic feeding behaviour. This conduct has also been observed in Sergentomyia dentata from Turkey (Özbel et al, ) and in other sand fly species as P. perniciosus (González, Álvarez, et al, ; Muñoz et al, ; Tarallo, Dantas Torres, Lia, & Otranto, ). Despite the noticeable result about the S. minuta feeding behaviour, the rate of blood meal identification was under the expectations according to studies performed in sand flies from the same region (González, Jiménez, et al, ), but similar to the rates showed in studies carried out in Portugal (Maia et al, ).…”

Mosquitoes in an Urban Zoo: Identification of Blood Meals, Flight Distances of Engorged Females, and Avian Malaria Infections

“…Zoos and wildlife parks with non-autochthonous and stabled fauna are excellent sites for studying the ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne pathogens, as studies of sand flies (9,10), biting midges Culicoides (11), and mosquitoes (12)(13)(14)(15) have previously shown. Given that captive animals are housed in known locations, the flight distances of captured insect vectors containing blood from these animals can be accurately estimated (10).…”

A spatial ecology study in a high‐diversity host community to understand blood‐feeding behaviour in Phlebotomus sandfly vectors of Leishmania

“…This study was conducted in a 16‐ha wildlife park situated on the outskirts of the city of Murcia in southeast Spain (Fig. ) (Muñoz et al ., ), where L. infantum is endemic (Perez‐Cutillas et al ., 2015; Goyena et al ., 2016; Risueño et al ., 2018). The park was home to 200 wild mammals of 30 species, 15 reptiles of three species and 300 birds of 26 species, kept in large, earth‐floored, open enclosures (Fig.…”

“…However, the costs borne by the insect in reaching an accessible host and subsequently finding a suitable breeding site were not considered. The present study used data on Phlebotomus vector abundances and feeding host diversity from a previous study (Muñoz et al ., ) to investigate sandfly vector feeding preferences, assuming that the majority of sandflies displayed site fidelity. The study estimated the probability that an engorged female collected in a light trap would feed from a particular host species when other species were available nearby, taking into account travelling costs, host census and environmental trapping site differences.…”