Molecular Detection of Leishmania major and L. turanica in Phlebotomus papatasi and First Natural Infection of P. salehi to L. major in North-East of Iran.
BACKGROUND
Leishmaniasis is an important public health disease in many developing countries as well in Iran. The main objective of this study was to investigate on leishmania infection of wild caught sand flies in an endemic focus of disease in Esfarayen district, north east of Iran.


METHODS
Sand flies were collected by sticky papers and mounted in a drop of Puri's medium for species identification. Polymerase chain reaction techniques of kDNA, ITS1-rDNA, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism were used for identification of DNA of Leishmania parasites within infected sand flies.


RESULTS
Among the collected female sand flies, two species of Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus salehi were found naturally infected with Leishmania major. Furthermore, mixed infection of Leishmania turanica and L. major was observed in one specimen of P. papatasi. Sequence analysis revealed two parasite ITS1 haplotypes including three L. major with accession numbers: KJ425408, KJ425407, KM056403 and one L. turanica. (KJ425406). The haplotype of L. major was identical (100%) to several L. major sequences deposited in GenBank, including isolates from Iran, (Gen Bank accession nos.AY573187, KC505421, KJ194178) and Uzbekistan (Accession no.FN677357).


CONCLUSIONS
To our knowledge, this is the first detection of L. major within wild caught P. salehi in northeast of Iran.
Department of Biochemistry and Genetic, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Sayena
S
Rafizadeh
Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Mehrzad
M
Saraei
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Reza
MR
Abaei
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mohammad Ali
MA
Oshaghi
Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Mehdi
M
Mohebali
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Amir
A
Peymani
Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran.
Taghi
T
Naserpour-Farivar
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Hassan
H
Bakhshi
Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Yavar
Y
Rassi
Iran; L. turanica; Leishmania major; P. salehi; Phlebotomus papatasi