Species, Natural <i>Leishmania</i> spp. Detection and Blood Meal Sources of Phlebotomine Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Peridomiciles from a Leishmaniases Endemic Area of Brazil
João Augusto Franco Leonel, Geovanna Vioti, Maria Luana Alves, Júlio César Pereira Spada, Alex Kazuo Yamaguchi, Nuno Wolfgang Balbini Pereira, Diogo Tiago da Silva, Júlia Cristina Benassi, Fredy Galvis‐Ovallos, Eunice Aparecida Bianchi Galati, Wilma Aparecida Starke‐Buzetti, Rodrigo Martins Soares, Heidge Fukumasu, Trícia Maria Ferreira de Sousa Oliveira
Abstract
Leishmaniases are important neglected tropical diseases caused by protozoans of the genus Leishmania spp. The female sandflies bite (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) is the main transmission form in the epidemiological chains of these diseases. Thus, studies on Phlebotominae subfamily are fundamental to improve the comprehension of the leishmaniases epidemiology, revealing relationships of these dipterans with the parasite and reservoirs. An entomological survey of Phlebotomine sandflies was carried out to investigate the fauna, Leishmania spp. DNA detection and blood meals sources of female sandflies captured in peridomiciles areas from a leishmaniases endemic area of São Paulo state, Brazil. A total of 637 Phlebotomine sandflies specimens were captured, and twelve species identified, some of them proven or suspected vectors of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Evandromyia ( Aldamyia ) carmelinoi and Lutzomyia ( Lutzomyia ) longipalpis PCR positive to Leishmania ( Leishmania ) infantum kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA) were identified. Also, Leishmania ( Leishmania ) amazonensis kDNA was found in Evandromyia ( Aldamyia ) lenti and Lu . ( Lu .) longipalpis . Regarding blood meals source, DNA of swine, humans, dogs, cattle, chickens, and opossums were detected in the midgut of Phlebotomine sandflies females captured in the study area. Our results highlight ecological relationships among different species of Phlebotomine sandflies, domestic and wild‐synanthropic vertebrates (including humans) and two Leishmania species in peridomiciles from a leishmaniases endemic area of Brazil.