Vector Entomology. Establishment of detection and identification method of Leishmania species within naturally infected individual sandflies

KATO, HIROTOMO; UEZATO, HIROSHI; CALVOPIÑA, MANUEL; MARCO, JORGE DIEGO; BARROSO, PAOLA ANDREA; GOMEZ, EDUARDO; MIMORI, TATSUYUKI; KATAKURA, KEN; KORENAGA, MASATAKA; IWATA, HIROYUKI; NONAKA, SHIGEO; HASHIGUCHI, YOSHIHISA

Studies on New and Old World Leishmaniasis and their transmission, with particular reference to Ecuador, Argentina and Pakistan

Kyowa Printing & Co. Ltd.

Lugar: Kochi, Japan; Año: 2004; p. 30 - 43

Leishmaniasis is a zoonotic protozoan disease caused by the genus Leishmania. Leishmania protozoa are transmitted by female sadflies, and the spread of leishmaniases generally depends on the distribution of the vectors and their infection rate with parasites.   Usually, the infection of sandflies with Leishmania promastigotes was examined under a microscope after dissection of each tiny sandfly.   In the present study, we established a detection method of Leishmania within individual sandflies by using molecular biological technique and examined the infection rate of sandflies with Leishmania in endemic areas. This method was shown to be sensitive enough to detect Leishmania organisms within each sandfly and the results of natural infection rate obtained by this method were comparable to those achieved by the microscopic examination of dissected flies. In addition, we successfully identified these Leishmania species by assessment of Cytochrome b gene sequences. The present method for detection and identification of Leishmania within individual sandflies is useful because it can process a large number of samples with limited efforts and requires neither fresh samples nor special skills. Thus, this method will be a powerful tool not only for monitoring the Leishmania infection rate in sandfly populations but also for rapid identification of prevalent parasite species in endemic areas of leishmaniasis.