Detection of Leishmania DNA in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From a Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Outbreak Area in Northeastern Brazil

Silva, Yury Yzabella da; Sales, Kamila Gaudêncio da Silva; Miranda, Débora Elienai de Oliveira; Figueredo, Luciana Aguiar; Brandão-Filho, Sinval Pinto; Dantas‐Torres, Filipe

doi:10.1093/jme/tjz189

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…With respect to Sc . sordellii , this species has already been found with DNA from Leishmania [ 43 , 44 ], however these reports should be viewed with caution as the genus Sciopemyia feeds on cold-blooded animals [ 45 , 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of the urban area of Lassance, Northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil

et al. 2021

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The present study aimed to check the sand flies’ fauna on the municipality of Lassance, Minas Gerais, Brazil and detect the presence of Leishmania DNA on the female captured and determine the risk areas of the municipality. Sand flies were collected monthly from May 2018 to April 2019 using automatic light traps for 3 consecutive nights. Eight houses were selected as sample points due its previous reports of tegumentary leishmaniasis and/or canine leishmaniasis. The sand fly’s fauna found on the present study it’s represented by several medical importance species and the most abundant species found were Lutzomyia longipalpis (77.09%) and Nyssomyia intermedia (10.06%). Leishmania infantum DNA was detected in a pool of Lu. longipalpis resulting on a 2.81% of infection rate. By the frequency of the two most abundant species on this study, we developed a risk area map and it draws attention to sample point 6 due to disparate abundance of sand flies at this site (81.81%). Statistical overview shows Lu. longipalpis as dominant species and, still, Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling analysis reveal high similarity on fauna’s diversity on the study area. Our findings suggest that the diversity of sand flies from the municipality of Lassance may promote the circulation of Leishmania infantum parasites putting in risk the habitants and other mammal’s species. Still, our study reinforces the necessity of specific studies focused on breed sites of phlebotomine and its’ ecology to expand the knowledge about the behaviour of this group of insects applying directly to leishmaniases’ epidemiology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of the urban area of Lassance, Northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil

et al. 2021

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“…This species is known to feed mainly on cold‐blooded vertebrates and probably play no role as a vector of Leishmania spp. to humans (Silva et al ., 2019). We had found the first records of this species in tropical forest areas from central, southeast and south of Bahia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the Phlebotominae subfamily records in Bahia, Brazil

Cova

Santos²,

Dias-Lima

et al. 2021

Medical Vet Entomology

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Brazil is one of the countries that concentrates 90% of all tegumentary and visceral leishmaniases cases and Bahia is one of the highly affected states. In the present report, we consolidated secondary data from several complementary databases that allowed us to record the sand fly species identified including areas of Leishmania spp. transmission in the state of Bahia. We then overlayed the geographical distribution data onto maps of vegetational aspects found across the state. Overall, 21 602 records of phlebotomine sand flies occurrence between 1949 and 2016 were analysed, encompassing 85% of Bahia's municipalities. Seventy‐six sand fly species under 17 genera were enlisted. Among described species, 27 were proven or putative Leishmania spp. vectors and three were considered exclusively endemic in the state. Lutzomyia longipalpis, Nyssomyia intermedia and Nyssomyia whitmani were found in 74, 29 and 27% of municipalities, respectively. Salvador, the state capital and major city presented records for 21 different sand fly species, including known vectors for leishmaniasis. In particular, a wide distribution of Evandromyia sallesi was detected for this city. This consolidated account on phebotomine fauna and distribution may be explored for improving the planning and deployment of vector‐focused leishmaniasis control measures in affected areas of Bahia.

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“…From the literature we collected thirteen female morphological traits [30-33] including but not limited to wing length, width, and number of teeth (Table S1), as well as vector and infection status [26, 27, 29, 31, 34-38]. Most of the sandfly morphological traits and biting behavior were taken from Young & Duncan’s 1994 book [31], with additional biting behavior data taken from sandfly surveys using Disney and Shannon traps [25, 27, 38-81].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Data-Driven Predictions of Potential Leishmania Vectors in Latin America

Vadmal

Glidden

Han

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The incidence of vector-borne diseases is rising as deforestation, climate change, and globalization bring humans in contact with arthropods that can transmit pathogens. In particular, incidence of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL), a parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies, is increasing as previously intact habitats are cleared for agriculture and urban areas, potentially bringing people into contact with vectors and reservoir hosts. Previous evidence has identified dozens of sandfly species that have been infected with and/or transmit Leishmania parasites. However, there is an incomplete understanding of which sandfly species transmit the parasite, complicating efforts to limit disease spread. Here, we apply machine learning models (boosted regression trees) to leverage biological and geographical traits of known sandfly vectors to predict potential vectors. Additionally, we generate trait profiles of confirmed vectors and identify important factors in transmission. Our model performed well with an average out of sample accuracy of 86%. The models predict that synanthropic sandflies living in areas with greater canopy height, less human modification, and within an optimal range of rainfall are more likely to be Leishmania vectors. We also observed that generalist sandflies that are able to inhabit many different ecoregions are more likely to transmit the parasite. Our results suggest that Psychodopygus amazonensis and Nyssomia antunesi are unidentified potential vectors, and should be the focus of sampling and research efforts. Overall, we found that our machine learning approach provides valuable information for Leishmania surveillance and management in an otherwise complex and data sparse system.Author SummaryAmerican Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) is a neglected parasitic disease transmitted by sandflies in Latin America. There is an incomplete understanding of which sandfly species transmit the parasite, complicating efforts to limit disease spread. In this study, the authors created a database of sandfly traits, then used predictive models to determine important factors in disease transmission and how different climate and environmental variables affect ACL transmission. The models suggest that transmission occurs at the interface between domestic habitats and well-preserved forests. The authors also generate predictions of which sandflies might be transmitting the parasite that are not known vectors at the time, specifically Psychodopygus amazonensis and Nyssomia antunesi. This new knowledge can lead to a better understanding of the system of transmission, and can point to possible hotspots of the disease. The analysis can also help direct researchers to areas of interest for sampling studies, as well as specific sandflies to focus their effort on.

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Detection of Leishmania DNA in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From a Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Outbreak Area in Northeastern Brazil

Cited by 6 publications

References 36 publications

The sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of the urban area of Lassance, Northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil

The sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna of the urban area of Lassance, Northeast Minas Gerais, Brazil

Revisiting the Phlebotominae subfamily records in Bahia, Brazil

Data-Driven Predictions of Potential Leishmania Vectors in Latin America

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