Zoophilic feeding behaviour of phlebotomine sand flies in the endemic areas of cutaneous leishmaniasis of Sindh Province, Pakistan

Abstract

Leishmania (Leishmania) major has been identified as the major causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sindh Province of southern Pakistan. To make a rational approach for understanding the pathogen transmission cycles, the sand fly species and their natural blood meals in the endemic areas were examined. Total DNA was individually extracted from sand flies collected in four villages in Sindh Province. PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) and sequence analysis of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene revealed that female sand flies identified were Sergentomyia clydei/Sergentomyia ghesquierei/Sergentomyia magna (68.6%), Sergentomyia dubia (17.1%), Phlebotomus papatasi (7.4%), Phlebotomus alexandri-like sand flies (3.4%) and Sergentomyia dentata (3.4%). PCR amplification of leishmanial kinetoplast DNA did not result in positive signals, suggesting that all 175 tested female sand flies were not infected with leishmanial parasites or contained undetectable levels of leishmanial DNA. Amplification and sequencing of the vertebrate cytochrome b gene in 28 blood-fed sand flies revealed that P. papatasi fed on cattle and wild rat whereas P. alexandri-like specimens fed on human, cattle, goat and dog. Although Sergentomyia sand flies are generally known to feed on cold-blooded animals, S. clydei, S. dubia and S. ghesquierei preferred humans, cattle, goat, sheep, buffalo, dog, donkey, wild rat and Indian gerbil. The epidemiological significance of the zoophilic feeding on various host species by Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia sand flies in Pakistan is further required to study for better understanding the zoonotic transmission of sand-fly-borne pathogens and for appropriate management of the vectors.

Diversity of sand flies (Diptera, Psychodidae) in southwest Iran with emphasis on synanthropy of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus alexandri

“…P. papatasi is semi-domestic species and opportunistic feeder but prefers to feed on human and rodents (Yaghoobi-Ershadi et al, 1995). Tiwananthaqorn et al (2012) reported that P. alexandri feeds on dogs, sheep and goats despite its anthropophilic behavior. Consistent with our findings, negative synanthropic index may be due to availability of hosts such as, dogs, sheep and goats in natural habitats in comparisons with the urban and semi urban areas of Khorramshahr.…”

Population genetics of Leishmania (Leishmania) major DNA isolated from cutaneous leishmaniasis patients in Pakistan based on multilocus microsatellite typing

“…The patients resided in different villages and cities of Larkana, Shahdadkot and Dadu districts of Sindh province or part of Balochistan province (Figure 1) [15,16]. For 64 samples, the genomic DNA was extracted from amastigotes in skin biopsy specimens using GenomicPrep™ cell and a tissue DNA Isolation Kit (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, NJ, USA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions [15].…”

“… Map of Pakistan, showing the study area (figure is modified from  [16] . Pie charts show the proportion of each population sampled in the respective region.…”

Comparison of LAMP and PCR for molecular mass screening of sand flies for Leishmania martiniquensis infection

“…Due to various limitations in the microscopic detection of Leishmania in sand flies, a molecular mass screening method for Leishmania infection of sand fly individuals has been established ( Kato et al 2007 , 2010 ). This method is a powerful tool for research confirmed on prevalent sand fly species and vector-host-parasite inter-relationships ( Kato et al 2007 , 2010 , Tiwananthagorn et al. 2012 ).…”