Natural infection of Lutzomyia neivai with Leishmania spp on northwestern Argentina

CÓRDOBA LANÚS, ELIZABETH; LIZARRALDE DE GROSSO, MERCEDES; ENRIQUE PIÑERO, JOSÉ; BASILIO VALLADARES,; SALOMON OD

ACTA TROPICA

Año: 2006 vol. 98 p. 1 - 5

0001-706X

The natural infection of Lutzomyia neivai with Leishmania in the endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in northwestern Argentina was analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-hybridization technique. Phlebotominae sand flies were captured in the provinces of Tucuman and Salta between 1999 and 2003. From a sample of 440 Lu. neivai females analysed for the detection of the Leishmania (Viannia) and Leishmania (Leishmania) subgenera, 9.1% of the samples resulted infected with a parasite of the subgenus Viannia and none with the Leishmania. This is the first report of naturally infected sand flies in Argentina besides the first report of infected Lu. neivai sensu strictu. Our results contributed to further incrimination of this specie as vector of leishmaniasis in the area and the identification of the main circulating parasite as belonging to the Leishmania (Viannia) subgenera.