In Brazil, control of the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis is one of the main strategies used to limit the expansion of American visceral leishmaniasis. However, studies on the ecology of this sand fly are rare, especially regarding its natural infection with species of Leishmania. A study of the natural infection of Lu. longipalpis by Leishmania sp. was carried out in the Bela Vista neighborhood i...

Background We employed a highly sensitive loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) by targeting 18S rRNA gene to identify the rapid mass screening of Leishmania infections in captured sand flies of southwest Iran and In vitro culture. Methods One hundred fifty sand flies were collected from 11 sites adjacent to Iraqi's borders in southern parts of Khuzestan Province by using sticky sheet...

The detection and identification of natural infections in sand flies by Leishmania protozoan species in endemic areas is a key factor in assessing the risk of leishmaniasis and in designing prevention and control measures for this infectious disease. In this study, we analyzed the Leishmania DNA using nuclear ribosomal internal transcript spacer (ITS) sequences. Parasite DNA was extracted from ...

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 identi...

Background Phlebotominae sand flies are the main vectors of leishmaniasis and some other diseases. Materials and Methods Using sticky traps, sand flies were collected fortnightly from outdoors and indoors areas of selected sites. Results A total of 2032 specimens (498 in the city and 1534 in the outskirts of Yazd) belonging to 11 species were collected. The activity of sand flies started in...

visceral leishmaniasis is a deadly parasitic disease that is transmitted via the bite of a female sand fly, phlebotomus argentipes. the highest burden of this disease is in northern india. in 2005, india embarked on an initiative with ne­pal, bangladesh, and the world health organization to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis by 2015. with the goal of 1 case in 10,000 people still unmet, it is pru...

Yellow-related proteins (YRPs) present in sand fly saliva act as affinity binders of bioamines, and help the fly to complete a bloodmeal by scavenging the physiological signals of damaged cells. They are also the main antigens in sand fly saliva and their recombinant form is used as a marker of host exposure to sand flies. Moreover, several salivary proteins and plasmids coding these proteins i...

Sand fly Phlebotomus chinensis is a primary vector of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in China. The sand flies have adapted to various ecological niches in distinct ecosystems. Characterization of the microbial structure and function will greatly facilitate the understanding of the sand fly ecology, which would provide critical information for developing intervention strategy for sand fl...

The monthly distribution and abundance of sand flies are influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. The present study aimed to evaluate the seasonal distribution of sand flies and the relation between their abundance and environmental parameters, including vegetation and climate. This study was conducted over a 2-year period (April 2012 to March 2014). Monthly distribution was evaluated thr...

Leishmania parasites alternate in their life cycle between promastigote stages that develop in the gut of phlebotomine sand flies and amastigotes residing inside phagocytic cells of vertebrate hosts. For experimental infections of sand flies, promastigotes are frequently used as this way of infection is technically easier although ingestion of promastigotes by sand flies is unnatural. Here we a...