Open AccessDetection of Leishmania donovani DNA within Field-Caught Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Three Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Endemic Foci of Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka
Author(s) -
Tharaka Wijerathna,
Nayana Gunathilaka,
Kithsiri Gunawardena,
Yoshito Fujii,
Deepa Gunasekara
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of tropical medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.747
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1687-9694
pISSN - 1687-9686
DOI - 10.1155/2021/6650388
Subject(s) - psychodidae , leishmania donovani , leishmaniasis , biology , vector (molecular biology) , phlebotomus , leishmania , cutaneous leishmaniasis , polymerase chain reaction , visceral leishmaniasis , veterinary medicine , kinetoplastida , dna extraction , parasite hosting , virology , zoology , protozoal disease , malaria , immunology , gene , genetics , medicine , world wide web , computer science , recombinant dna
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection transmitted through the bite of female phlebotomine sand flies. Microscopy is the gold standard to detect parasites within the sand flies and for vector incrimination. However, molecular-based detection has become more popular nowadays in the identification of Leishmania parasites since it provides detection and species identification simultaneously with no need of laborious procedures. The entomological surveys were conducted monthly from May to October 2017 using standard entomological techniques. Field-caught sand flies were identified to the species level followed by DNA extraction. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using species-specific primers to detect Leishmania donovani parasites. A total of 1,662 sand flies were encountered from the entomological surveys, and the majority of them were Phlebotomus argentipes ( n = 1517; 91.27%), while others were Sergentomyia punjabiensis ( n = 140; 8.72%). Leishmania donovani parasite DNA was detected only from P. argentipes (2.3%; n = 2). The detection of Leishmania DNA in P. argentipes suggests the possible role of this species as a vector for leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka.