Identification of Bloodmeals from Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) Collected in the Parque Nacional do Viruá, State of Roraima, Brazil

Abstract

The transmission of pathogens that cause leishmaniases occurs by the bite of female sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in their vertebrate hosts, which makes the identification of their bloodmeal sources an important step for the control and epidemiology of these diseases. In Brazil, the state of Roraima has a great diversity of sand flies, vertebrate hosts, and protozoan Leishmania, but little is known about the host blood-feeding preferences of sand flies. Thus, we evaluated the bloodmeal sources of sand flies collected from their sylvatic habitats in Parque Nacional do Viruá, Roraima. Fieldwork was carried-out between 13th and 18th August 2019 using CDC light traps. Sand flies were slide-mounted and morphologically identified using the head and last segments of the abdomen. Engorged females had their DNA extracted, followed by amplification and sequencing of the cytochrome b (cytb) molecular marker for vertebrates. Sequences were analyzed and compared with those from GenBank using the BLASTn search tool, in addition to the reconstruction of a phylogenetic tree to demonstrate the clustering pattern of these sequences. A total of 1,209 sand flies were identified, comprising 20 species, in which the most abundant were Psychodopygus ayrozai (Barretto and Coutinho) (42.10%) and Psychodopygus chagasi (Costa Lima) (26.22%). Bloodmeal source identification was successfully performed for 34 sand flies, that confirm four vertebrate species, being the most abundant the armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus, 1758 (Cingulata: Dasypodidae).

Blood Feeding Sources of Nyssomyia antunesi (Diptera: Psychodidae): A Suspected Vector of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in the Brazilian Amazon

“…The identification of bloodmeals from phlebotomines using partial sequences from PCR products of the mtDNA cyt b gene is suitable and widely used for this purpose ( Jiménez et al 2013 , Carvalho et al 2017 , Pereira Junior et al 2019 , Doe et al 2020 , Leão et al 2020 , Remadi et al 2020 , Lozano-Sardaneta et al 2021 , Rodrigues et al 2021 , Torchitte et al 2020 ). Six vertebrate species were found to be blood feeding sources of Ny.…”

Online catalogue of the Coleção de Flebotomíneos (FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB), a biological collection of American sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) held at Fiocruz Minas, Brazil

“…The data associated with the biological specimens deposited in FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB are of importance because they (i) describe the distribution of sand flies in different parts of Brazil, and (ii) have a good temporal coverage – some specimens date back to 1939, while the most recent deposit was recorded in 2021. These data can be used for many different applications, in different research areas, including taxonomy and systematics [ 5 – 7 ] , and ecological niche modelling [ 8 ] , among others [ 9 ] , to vector control activities [ 19 , 20 ] . …”

“…Os dados associados aos espécimes biológicos depositados na FIOCRUZ/COLFLEB são importantes porque (i) descrevem a distribuição dos flebotomíneos em diferentes partes do Brasil, e (ii) têm uma boa cobertura temporal – alguns espécimes datam de 1939, enquanto o depósito mais recente foi registrado em 2021. Esses dados podem ser usados para muitas aplicações diferentes, em diferentes áreas de pesquisa, incluindo taxonomia e sistemática [ 5 – 7 ] , e modelagem de nicho ecológico [ 8 ] , entre outros [ 9 ] , para subsidiar atividades de controle [ 19 , 20 ] . …”

“…The deposited sand flies were usually collected using light traps and have been identified by highly trained specialists using available taxonomic keys [ 2 , 4 ] . The specimens can support research in the areas of taxonomy and systematics [ 5 – 7 ] , and their associated data can be used in ecological niche/species distribution modelling [ 8 ] , among other applications [ 9 ] . …”

“…Os flebotomíneos depositados geralmente foram coletados usando armadilhas de luz e foram identificados por especialistas altamente treinados usando chaves taxonômicas disponíveis [ 2 , 4 ] . Os espécimes podem subsidiar pesquisas nas áreas de taxonomia e sistemática [ 5 – 7 ] , e seus dados associados podem ser usados em modelagem de distribuição de nichos ecológicos/espécies [ 8 ] , entre outras aplicações [ 9 ] . …”