title: Molecular Detection of Leishmania DNA in Wild-Caught Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) From a Cave in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: Leishmania spp. are distributed throughout the world, and different species are associated with varying degrees of disease severity. In Brazil, Leishmania transmission involves several species of phlebotomine sand flies that are closely associated with different parasites and reservoirs, and thereby giving rise to different transmission cycles. Infection occurs during the bloodmeals of sand flies obtained from a variety of wild and domestic animals, and sometimes from humans. The present study focused on detection of Leishmania DNA in phlebotomine sand flies from a cave in the state of Minas Gerais. Detection of Leishmania in female sand flies was performed with ITS1 PCR-RFLP (internal transcribed spacer 1) using HaeIII enzyme and genetic sequencing for SSUrRNA target. The survey of Leishmania DNA was carried out on 232 pools and the parasite DNA was detected in four: one pool of Lutzomyia cavernicola (Costa Lima, 1932), infected with Le. infantum (ITS1 PCR-RFLP), two pools of Evandromyia sallesi (Galvão & Coutinho, 1939), both infected with Leishmania braziliensis complex (SSUrRNA genetic sequencing analysis), and one pool of Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte, 1927), infected with subgenus Leishmania (SSUrRNA genetic sequencing analysis). The present study identified the species for Leishmania DNA detected in four pools of sand flies, all of which were captured inside the cave. These results represent the first molecular detection of Lu cavernicola with Le infantum DNA, Sc sordellii with subgenus Leishmania DNA, and Ev sallesi with Leishmania braziliensis complex DNA. The infection rate in females captured for this study was 0.17%.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715 Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil (gumayr@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; felipedutra@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; nanabio.neves@gmail.com; aninhapopo@hotmail.com; jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br).
authors.forename: G M L
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de doenças parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Pavilhão Arthur Neiva, sala 22. Av. Brasil, 4365 Manguinhos, CEP 21040-900 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (brazil.reginaldo@gmail.com).
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Brazil
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715 Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil (gumayr@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; felipedutra@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; nanabio.neves@gmail.com; aninhapopo@hotmail.com; jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br).
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Rêgo
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715 Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil (gumayr@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; felipedutra@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; nanabio.neves@gmail.com; aninhapopo@hotmail.com; jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br).
authors.forename: M C N F
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715 Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil (gumayr@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; felipedutra@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; nanabio.neves@gmail.com; aninhapopo@hotmail.com; jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br).
authors.forename: A P L A
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Zenóbio
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Estudos em Leishmanioses, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715 Barro Preto, CEP 30190-002, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil (gumayr@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; felipedutra@cpqrr.fiocruz.br; nanabio.neves@gmail.com; aninhapopo@hotmail.com; jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br) jandrade@cpqrr.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Andrade Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D059552:Caves; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer
keywords: Leishmania; cave; molecular detection; sand fly