Ecology, seasonality and host preferences of Austrian Phlebotomus (Transphlebotomus) mascittii Grassi, 1908, populations

Edwin Kniha,Petr Volf,Markus Milchram,Vít Dvořák,Petr Halada,Wolfgang Poeppl,Adelheid G Obwaller,Julia Walochnik,Gerhard Mooseder

doi:10.1186/s13071-021-04787-2

Abstract

BackgroundSand flies are principal vectors of the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. and are widely distributed in all warmer regions of the world, including the Mediterranean parts of Europe. In Central European countries, the sand fly fauna is still under investigation. Phlebotomus mascittii, a suspected but unproven vector of Leishmania infantum, is regarded as the most widely distributed species in Europe. However, many aspects of its biology and ecology remain poorly known. The aim of this study was to provide new data on the biology and ecology of Ph. mascittii in Austria to better understand its current distribution and potential dispersal.MethodsSand flies were collected by CDC light traps at four localities in Austria for 11 (2018) and 15 weeks (2019) during the active sand fly season. Climatic parameters (temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed) were retrospectively obtained for the trapping periods. Sand flies were identified by a combined approach (morphology, DNA barcoding, MALDI-TOF protein profiling), and blood meals of engorged females were analysed by DNA sequencing and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.ResultsIn total, 450 individuals of Ph. mascittii were caught. Activity was observed to start at the beginning of June and end at the end of August with peaks in mid-July at three locations and early August at one location. Increased activity was associated with relatively high temperatures and humidity. Also, more individuals were caught on nights with low barometric pressure. Analysis of five identified blood meals revealed chicken (Gallus gallus) and equine (Equus spp.) hosts. Sand fly abundance was generally associated with availability of hosts.ConclusionThis study reports unexpectedly high numbers of Ph. mascittii at selected Austrian localities and provides the first detailed analysis of its ecology to date. Temperature and humidity were shown to be good predictors for sand fly activity. Blood meal analyses support the assumption that Ph. mascittii feeds on mammals as well as birds. The study significantly contributes to understanding the ecology of this sand fly species in Central Europe and facilitates prospective entomological surveys.Graphical

Highlights

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are small hematophageous insects
Sand fly identification Overall, 450 specimens were caught, which were all identified as Phlebotomus mascittii by morphological characters
Further confirmation was obtained by sequencing a c oxidase subunit I (coxI) gene region of one male and one female of each of the four locations (GenBank accession: MW741695.1– MW741702.1) and MALDI-TOF protein profiling of chosen specimens from different trapping localities, which were hardly or not identifiable to the species level by morphology

Summary

Introduction

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are small hematophageous insects. The occurrence of sand flies in Central Europe, north of the Alps, had long been questioned, but Phlebotomus mascittii Grassi, 1908, was first found in Germany in 1999 [2]. With records as far as 50° North, it is the northernmost occurring sand fly species in Europe [7,8,9]. It is known to occur in western parts of the Mediterranean [10, 11], while reports from eastern parts of the Mediterranean [12] are likely to represent the recently described species Phlebotomus killicki Dvořák, Votýpka & Volf, 2015 [13]. Sand flies are principal vectors of the protozoan parasites Leishmania spp. and are widely distributed in all warmer regions of the world, including the Mediterranean parts of Europe. Phlebotomus mascittii, a suspected but unproven vector of Leishmania infantum, is regarded as the most widely distributed species in Europe. The aim of this study was to provide new data on the biology and ecology of Ph. mascittii in Austria to better understand its current distribution and potential dispersal

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Conclusion