This study was conducted around Céret (Pyrénées-Orientales, mean elevation 200 m) to test the statistical reliability of 12 stations devoted to sampling the Leishmania infantum vectors Phlebotomus ariasi and P. perniciosus in the South of France. Each station included a retaining wall and the surrounding phytoecological environment (total area: 2,000 m(2)). The wall had rectangular drainage cav...

We quantified Leishmania infantum parasites transmitted by natural vectors for the first time. Both L. infantum strains studied, dermotropic CUK3 and viscerotropic IMT373, developed well in Phlebotomus perniciosus and Lutzomyia longipalpis. They produced heavy late-stage infection and colonized the stomodeal valve, which is a prerequisite for successful transmission. Infected sand fly females, ...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES In Portugal, Phlebotomus perniciosus and P. ariasi, (Subgenus Larroussius; Diptera: Psychodidae) are the proven vectors of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum. The Algarve Region in southern Portugal has been considered an endemic focus of leishmaniasis since 1980s. The main objective of the present study was to validate a molecular approach to detect Leishmania ...

The isolation and characterization from the sand fly Phlebotomus perniciosus of a Wickerhamomyces anomalus yeast strain (Wa1F1) displaying the killer phenotype was recently reported. In the present work, the killer toxin (KT) produced by Wa1F1 was purified and characterized, and its antimicrobial activity in vitro was investigated against fluconazole- susceptible and -resistant clinical isolate...

Data on leishmaniosis and its vectors (sand flies) in the Balearic Islands are scarce and restricted mainly to Majorca. According to the official data, the overall rate of human leishmaniosis (HL) is 0.7-3.5 cases per year/100,000 inhabitants (for the period 2001-2015), and the reported prevalence of canine leishmaniosis (CanL) varies between 0 and 45%, depending on the island and the dog popul...

BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an infectious disease caused by various species of Leishmania and transmitted by several species of sand flies. CL is among the most neglected tropical diseases, and it has represented a major health threat over the past 20 years in Morocco. The main objectives of this study were to identify relevant sand fly species and detect Leishmania infection in ...

BACKGROUND Sand flies are hematophagous arthropods that act as vectors of Leishmania parasites. When hosts are bitten they develop cellular and humoral responses against sand fly saliva. A positive correlation has been observed between the number of bites and antibody levels indicating that anti-saliva antibody response can be used as marker of exposure to sand flies. Little is known about kine...