Abstract
BackgroundPhlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of the leishmaniases, parasitic diseases caused by Leishmania spp. Little is known about the prevalence and diversity of sand fly microflora colonizing the midgut or the cuticle. Particularly, there is little information on the fungal diversity. This information is important for development of vector control strategies.Methodology/Principal FindingsFive sand fly species: Phlebotomus papatasi, P. sergenti, P. kandelakii, P. perfiliewi and P. halepensis were caught in Bileh Savar and Kaleybar in North-Western Iran that are located in endemic foci of visceral leishmaniasis. A total of 35 specimens were processed. Bacterial and fungal strains were identified by routine microbiological methods. We characterized 39 fungal isolates from the cuticle and/or the midgut. They belong to six different genera including Penicillium (17 isolates), Aspergillus (14), Acremonium (5), Fusarium (1), Geotrichum (1) and Candida (1). We identified 33 Gram-negative bacteria: Serratia marcescens (9 isolates), Enterobacter cloacae (6), Pseudomonas fluorescens (6), Klebsiella ozaenae (4), Acinetobacter sp. (3), Escherichia coli (3), Asaia sp. (1) and Pantoea sp. (1) as well as Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis (5) and Micrococcus luteus (5) in 10 isolates.Conclusion/SignificanceOur study provides new data on the microbiotic diversity of field-collected sand flies and for the first time, evidence of the presence of Asaia sp. in sand flies. We have also found a link between physiological stages (unfed, fresh fed, semi gravid and gravid) of sand flies and number of bacteria that they carry. Interestingly Pantoea sp. and Klebsiella ozaenae have been isolated in Old World sand fly species. The presence of latter species on sand fly cuticle and in the female midgut suggests a role for this arthropod in dissemination of these pathogenic bacteria in endemic areas. Further experiments are required to clearly delineate the vectorial role (passive or active) of sand flies.
Highlights
Phlebotomine sand flies are the natural exclusive vectors of leishmaniases, a group of parasitic diseases caused by protozoan kinetoplastid flagellates belonging to the genus Leishmania
After vortexing as previously described (VIII), 15 ml of the PBS was used for bacterial anlysis (IX) and 15 ml for fungal analysis (X) in order to check the sterilization of the cuticle
Prevalence of Micro-organisms in Field Caught Sand Flies The aim of the study was to investigate the diversity of the bacterial and fungal strains that Phlebotomine sand flies carry with a culture dependent method
Summary
Phlebotomine sand flies are the natural exclusive vectors of leishmaniases, a group of parasitic diseases caused by protozoan kinetoplastid flagellates belonging to the genus Leishmania. They affect about 12 million people in many countries located in Mediterranean, tropical and sub-tropical regions [1,2]. Females require a blood-meal to complement their diet, during the maturation of their eggs and completion of the gonotrophic cycle [8,9,10] During these feeding events, they can acquire various microorganisms including bacteria (e.g. Bartonella bacilliformis), fungi, Phleboviruses or other trypanosomatidae and co-colonization by human pathogenic and non pathogenic species of Leishmania i.e L. turanica, L. gerbilli and L. major [11,12]. This information is important for development of vector control strategies
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