Detection of Leishmania DNA and Blood Meal Identification in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From Lençois Maranhenses National Park Region, Brazil

A study conducted over 36 months in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil, revealed significant insights into the transmission dynamics of leishmaniasis. The research identified Lutzomyia longipalpis as a vector for Leishmania infantum with a 3.7% infection rate, while non-vector species like Lu. lenti and Lu. whitmani also showed low infection rates (0.6% and 0.9%, respectively). Notably, Lu. whitmani was detected as a vector for Le. braziliensis at a 0.3% rate, and Lu. flaviscutellata had an 8% infection rate with Le. amazonensis. Blood meal analysis of sand flies indicated feeding on pigs (37.9%), dogs (27.4%), chickens (20.9%), horses (9%), rodents (3.3%), and humans (1.4%). These findings suggest potential transmission of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and American tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) in the region, implicating both domestic animals and humans in disease spread.

Fonteles, R. S., Pereira Filho, A. A., Moraes, J. L. P., Pereira, S. R. F., Rodrigues, B. L., & Rebêlo, J. M. M. (2017). Detection of Leishmania DNA and Blood Meal Identification in Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From Lençois Maranhenses National Park Region, Brazil. Journal of Medical Entomology, 55(2), 445–451. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjx230