Lutzomyia longipalpis: an update on this sand fly vector

Abstract

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the most important vector of Leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the New World. It is a permissive vector susceptible to infection with several Leishmania species. One of the advantages that favors the study of this sand fly is the possibility of colonization in the laboratory. For this reason, several researchers around the world use this species as a model for different subjects including biology, insecticides testing, host-parasite interaction, physiology, genetics, proteomics, molecular biology, and saliva among others. In 2003, we published our first review (Soares & Turco 2003) on this vector covering several aspects of Lu. longipalpis. This current review summarizes what has been published between 2003-2020. During this period, modern approaches were incorporated following the development of more advanced and sensitive techniques to assess this sand fly.

Natural infection of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) by Leishmania infantum in a municipality with a high incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in the Brazilian Midwest

“…longipalpis to sustain late-stage infections involving diverse Leishmania species has been recognized, and prior documentation has affirmed the natural infection of this species with Le. infantum 6 . However, the prevailing strategies for VL control have proven ineffective, culminating in Três Lagoas becoming the second-most afflicted municipality regarding reported cases 2 .…”