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Molecular screening of L eishmania spp. infection and bloodmeals in sandflies from a leishmaniasis focus in southwestern T urkey
Author(s) -
KARAKU Ş M.,
PEKAĞ IRBA Ş M.,
DEMIR S.,
EREN H.,
TÖZ S.,
ÖZBEL Y.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12216
Subject(s) - biology , leishmania infantum , phlebotomus , psychodidae , leishmaniasis , leishmania , canine leishmaniasis , vector (molecular biology) , sandfly , veterinary medicine , polymerase chain reaction , zoology , virology , kinetoplastida , visceral leishmaniasis , parasite hosting , genetics , immunology , protozoal disease , malaria , gene , medicine , recombinant dna , world wide web , computer science
Leishmaniasis is an arthropod‐borne disease that affects approximately 2 million people worldwide annually. The aims of this study were to detect the presence of L eishmania ( K inetoplastida: T rypanosomatidae) DNA and the feeding preferences of probable vector species in an endemic focus of L eishmania infantum in T urkey. Entomological sampling was performed in A ugust and O ctober 2015 in A ydın province, where cases of human and canine leishmaniasis have been reported previously. A total of 1059 sandfly specimens comprising nine species belonging to two genera, P hlebotomus and S ergentomyia (both: D iptera: P sychodidae), and five subgenera of the P hlebotomus genus ( P hlebotomus , P araphlebotomus , L arroussius , A dlerius and T ransphlebotomus ) were collected in five villages. Among all P hlebotomus specimens, P hlebotomus neglectus (39%) was noted as the most abundant species, followed by P hlebotomus tobbi (18%). L eishmania DNA was detected in pools from P . neglectus , P . tobbi and S ergentomyia dentata by kDNA polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ). L eishmania DNA from P hlebotomus specimens was identified as L . infantum , but L eishmania DNA from S ergentomyia spp. could not be identified to species level by ITS‐1 real‐time PCR . The detection of L eishmania DNA in wild‐caught P . neglectus and the high percentage (24.2%) of human DNA in engorged specimens suggests that P . neglectus is probably an important vector species for L . infantum in A ydın province.