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Background  Despite their importance in animal and human health, the epidemiology of species of the  Leishmania enriettii  complex remains poorly understood, including the identity of their biological vectors. Biting midges of the genus  Forcipomyia (Lasiohelea)  have been implicated in the transmission of a member of the  L .  enriettii  complex in Australia, but the far larger and more widespread genus  Culicoides  has not been investigated for the potential to include vectors to date.    Methodology/Principal Findings  Females from colonies of the midges  Culicoides nubeculosus  Meigen and  C .  sonorensis  Wirth & Jones and the sand fly  Lutzomyia longipalpis  Lutz & Nevia (Diptera: Psychodidae) were experimentally infected with two different species of  Leishmania , originating from Australia ( Leishmania  sp. AM-2004) and Brazil ( Leishmania enriettii ). In addition, the infectivity of  L .  enriettii  infections generated in guinea pigs and golden hamsters for  Lu .  longipalpis  and  C .  sonorensis  was tested by xenodiagnosis. Development of  L .  enriettii  in  Lu .  longipalpis  was relatively poor compared to other  Leishmania  species in this permissive vector.  Culicoides nubeculosus  was not susceptible to infection by parasites from the  L .  enriettii  complex. In contrast,  C .  sonorensis  developed late stage infections with colonization of the thoracic midgut and the stomodeal valve. In hamsters, experimental infection with  L .  enriettii  led only to mild symptoms, while in guinea pigs  L .  enriettii  grew aggressively, producing large, ulcerated, tumour-like lesions. A high proportion of  C .  sonorensis  (up to 80%) feeding on the ears and nose of these guinea pigs became infected.    Conclusions/Significance  We demonstrate that  L .  enriettii  can develop late stage infections in the biting midge  Culicoides sonorensis . This midge was found to be susceptible to  L .  enriettii  to a similar degree as  Lutzomyia longipalpis , the vector of  Leishmania infantum  in South America. Our results support the hypothesis that some biting midges could be natural vectors of the  L .  enriettii  complex because of their vector competence, although not  Culicoides sonorensis  itself, which is not sympatric, and midges should be assessed in the field while searching for vectors of related  Leishmania  species including  L .  martiniquensis  and " L .  siamensis ".

The Biting Midge Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Is Capable of Developing Late Stage Infections of Leishmania enriettii