Leishmania sp. detection and blood‐feeding behaviour of S ergentomyia minuta collected in the human leishmaniasis focus of southwestern Madrid, Spain (2012–2017)

Abstract

Phlebotomine sand flies are the only known vectors of Leishmania spp. protozoan which causes leishmaniasis in 98 countries. In Spain, 11 sand fly species are described, but only Phlebotomus perniciosus and Phlebotomus ariasi are proven vectors of the disease. On the other hand, Sergentomyia minuta is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous sand flies in this territory, although scarce information is available about this species. Sand flies from this genus are known for their preference to feed on cold-blooded animals and are traditionally involved in the transmission of reptile Leishmania. However, studies have suggested that Sergentomyia spp. could be implicated in the transmission of human pathogenic Leishmania. This study analyses blood meal preferences and Leishmania sp. infection of S. minuta sand flies from the largest human leishmaniasis outbreak in Europe. Sand flies were collected during entomological surveillance carries out from 2012 to 2017 in the active season of these dipterans, from May toOctober. Molecular detection of Leishmania spp. showed 68 positive specimens of S. minuta out of 377 (18%). The analysis of blood meal preferences by amplification of 359 bp fragment of cytochrome b gene revealed that blood preference of S. minuta is not only limited to reptiles, but they also feed on mammals, including humans. Results suggest the presence of a Leishmania sp., related to Leishmania tarentolae, cycle in S. minuta from the studied area. Although there is no evidence about its incrimination in the L. infantum transmission more investigation is needed to elucidate the intravectorial cycle of Leishmania spp. in S. minuta sand flies, their feeding behaviour and their potential contribution in Leishmania spp. epidemiology in the country. K E Y W O R D Sfeeding behaviour, human leishmaniasis outbreak, Leishmania spp., Sergentomyia minuta, Spain, vector competence

Reptile vector-borne diseases of zoonotic concern

“…The same occurred for Sergentomyia minuta ( Fig. 2 c), which may feed on lizards as well as on mammals (Bravo-Barriga et al, 2015; González et al, 2020 ). Therefore, the role of Squamata reptile populations and the ubiquitous distribution of sand fly species is of critical importance to understand the epidemiology of trypanosomid flagellates in endemic regions.…”

“… Kato et al (2010) Phebotomus perniciosus France Toscana Virus Cotteaux-Lautard et al (2016) Sergentomyia minuta Spain Leishmania sp. Gonzalez et al (2019) Spain Leishmania tarentolae Bravo-Barriga et al (2015) Humans Italy Leishmania donovani complex Abbate et al (2020) L . tarentolae France Toscana Virus Charrel et al (2006) Sergentomyia ( Sergentomyia ) dentata Lizards Iran L. adleri Maleki-Ravasan et al (2008) Sergentomyia sp.…”

Detection of Leishmania tarentolae in lizards, sand flies and dogs in southern Italy, where Leishmania infantum is endemic: hindrances and opportunities

“…The high prevalence of infection in lizards overlaps the abundance of herpetophilic S. minuta and of P. perniciosus , which is the main vector of L. infantum [ 59 ]. Nonetheless, the finding of S. minuta as the most abundant species (92.7%) compared to P. perniciosus (7.3%) was already observed in other dog shelters from southern Italy where L. infantum is prevalent, such as in Apulia [ 16 ], Sicily [ 60 – 63 ], as well as Morocco [ 64 ], Portugal [ 65 ] and Spain [ 21 ]. In addition, the low number of P. perniciosus collected may be correlated to the species phenology and environmental preferences.…”

“…This picture has also been corroborated by other reports of L. infantum DNA in several Sergentomyia spp. , such as Sergentomyia dubia , Sergentomyia magna and Sergentomyia schewtzi in Africa [ 15 ], and S. minuta from endemic areas of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in Europe [ 13 , 14 , 16 – 21 ]. Meanwhile, the DNA and/or amastigote forms of pathogenic Leishmania spp.…”

Molecular Identification and Ecology of Portuguese Wild-Caught Phlebotomine Sandfly Specimens

“…Indeed, the feeding behaviour of P. ariasi, P. sergenti, and P. perniciosus has been reported to be similar and of opportunistic nature according to whatever vertebrate is of easier access, including humans, domesticated vertebrates, and birds [1,42,58]. On the other hand, sandflies from the genus Sergentomyia were previously believed to feed only on reptiles [59], although recent studies have shown that S. minuta also feeds on mammals, including humans [60]. All analysed engorged sandflies resulted from captures in mosquito surveys performed in places with human presence, and although some of them were rural environments with the presence of other animals, this is likely the reason why human bloodmeals dominated the dataset.…”