Species composition, activity patterns and blood meal analysis of sand fly populations (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the metropolitan region of Thessaloniki, an endemic focus of canine leishmaniasis.

Abstract

Species composition, activity patterns and blood meal analysis of sand fly populations were investigated in the metropolitan region of Thessaloniki, North Greece from May to October 2011. Sampling was conducted weekly in 3 different environments (animal facilities, open fields, residential areas) along the outskirts of the city in areas of increased canine leishmania transmission. Six sand fly species (Phlebotomus perfiliewi, Phlebotomus tobbi, Phlebotomus simici, Plebotomus papatasi, Sergentomya minuta and Sergentomya dentata) were identified using both classical and molecular techniques. DNA barcodes were characterized for the first time for two (P. simici and S. dentata) of the six recorded species. Phylogenetic analysis based on the COI gene sequences confirmed the grouping of P. tobbi, P. perniciosus and P. perfiliewi (subgenus Larrousius) and the monophyly of P. simici (subgenus Adlerius). By far the most prevalent species was P. perfiliewi, followed by P. simici and P. tobbi. The largest populations of sand flies were collected from animal facilities, followed by residential areas and open agricultural fields. Peak activity of sand flies overall occurred mid-August to mid-September and then declined sharply in October. Blood meal analysis showed that P. perfiliewi and P. simici feed preferentially on humans (88% & 95%, respectively) but also feed on chickens and goats. When designing a control strategy to alleviate sand fly nuisance in the region of Thessaloniki the following conclusions can be reached from this study: a) August and September are high risk months due to increased sand fly activity levels, b) animal facilities within or adjacent to urban settlements are high risk areas and may act as a maintenance and amplification foci for the vector as well as the parasite, and c) the abundance, ubiquity and feeding behavior of P. perfiliewi and P. simici establishes them as potentially important vectors of Leishmania in the region.

Identification of wild-caught phlebotomine sand flies from Crete and Cyprus using DNA barcoding

“…Sergentomyia minuta has a doubtful taxonomic status and a quite unique intraspecific variability [ 19 ] which should be evaluated together with its possible vectorial capacity. All Sergentomyia samples sequenced in this work clustered by genus, species and locality, respectively, confirming previous studies [ 28 , 61 ]. The S. minuta clade (Fig.…”

“…1 ) from other species groups and clustered together with published cox 1 barcodes of the same species. Phlebotomus papatasi belongs to the phylogenetically distinct subgenus Phlebotomus , members of which have been quite often used in phylogenetic analyses [ 18 , 28 , 45 , 46 ]. In a study where 22 populations of P. papatasi from 16 countries were subjected to phylogenetic analysis, it was shown that samples from Crete and Cyprus shared haplotypes implying close genetic relationships albeit their insular isolation [ 47 ].…”

“…The method has helped to reveal cryptic sand fly species [ 26 ] and it has also been used to distinguish female sand flies between closely related species [ 22 ]. In Greece, recently, two different studies used the method to successfully identify sand flies in VL/CL/CanLei foci [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Phlebotomus (Adlerius) Simici Nitzulescu, 1931: First Record in Austria and Phylogenetic Relationship With Other Adlerius Species

“…Ph. simici is frequently reported in Balkan [24,25,32,33] and Middle Eastern countries [34,35]. Recent reports from North Macedonia (Dvořák p.o.…”

“…simici is an assumed but unproven vector species for Leishmania infantum [31]. Even though the specimen found was tested negative for Leishmania DNA, this species has been shown to be highly anthropophilic [24], which is important for its potential relevance in Leishmania transmission to humans.…”