title: [Natural infection with Leishmania infantum chagasi in Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) sandflies captured in the municipality of Janaúba, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Visceral leishmaniasis has been notified in nearly all states of Brazil, and particularly in the north of Minas Gerais, where the disease is endemic. The aim of this study was to detect natural infection of Lutzomyia longipalpis and, through the PCR/RFLP technique, identify Leishmania species found in sandflies in the municipality of Janaúba.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using light traps, 1,550 females of L. longipalpis were caught and grouped into pools of 10 specimens to be subjected to DNA extraction and amplification, by means of generic PCR and cacophony.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 155 pools, six were positive for Leishmania sp., and thus the infection rate in the municipality was 3.9%. Through PCR/RFLP, the digestion pattern among the positive samples was found to be similar to that of the reference strain of Leishmania chagasi (MHOM/BR/74/PP75).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The detection of natural infection associated with studies on the epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis suggests that L. longipalpis is involved in transmission of L. infantum chagasi in Janaúba, particularly in areas of intense transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Leishmaniose, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, MG.
authors.forename: Erika Monteiro
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Michalsky
authors.forename: Karla de Sena
authors.initials: Kde S
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.forename: Fabiana de Oliveira
authors.initials: Fde O
authors.lastname: Lara e Silva
authors.forename: João Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: França-Silva
authors.forename: Consuelo Latorre Fortes
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: Ricardo Andrade
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: Edelberto Santos
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Dias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000635:transmission; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*