Abstract
BackgroundLutzomyia umbratilis (a probable species complex) is the main vector of Leishmania guyanensis in the northern region of Brazil. Lutzomyia anduzei has been implicated as a secondary vector of this parasite. These species are closely related and exhibit high morphological similarity in the adult stage; therefore, they have been wrongly identified, both in the past and in the present. This shows the need for employing integrated taxonomy.MethodsWith the aim of gathering information on the molecular taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of these two vectors, 118 sequences of 663 base pairs (barcode region of the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I – COI) were generated from 72 L. umbratilis and 46 L. anduzei individuals captured, respectively, in six and five localities of the Brazilian Amazon. The efficiency of the barcode region to differentiate the L. umbratilis lineages I and II was also evaluated. The data were analyzed using the pairwise genetic distances matrix and the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) tree, both based on the Kimura Two Parameter (K2P) evolutionary model.ResultsThe analyses resulted in 67 haplotypes: 32 for L. umbratilis and 35 for L. anduzei. The mean intra-specific genetic distance was 0.008 (0.002 to 0.010 for L. umbratilis; 0.008 to 0.014 for L. anduzei), whereas the mean interspecific genetic distance was 0.044 (0.041 to 0.046), supporting the barcoding gap. Between the L. umbratilis lineages I and II, it was 0.009 to 0.010. The NJ tree analysis strongly supported monophyletic clades for both L. umbratilis and L. anduzei, whereas the L. umbratilis lineages I and II formed two poorly supported monophyletic subclades.ConclusionsThe barcode region clearly separated the two species and may therefore constitute a valuable tool in the identification of the sand fly vectors of Leishmania in endemic leishmaniasis areas. However, the barcode region had not enough power to separate the two lineages of L. umbratilis, likely reflecting incipient species that have not yet reached the status of distinct species.
Highlights
IntroductionLutzomyia umbratilis (a probable species complex) is the main vector of Leishmania guyanensis in the northern region of Brazil
Lutzomyia umbratilis is the main vector of Leishmania guyanensis in the northern region of Brazil
Out of the six genera belonging to the subfamily Phlebotominae, only Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus include the vectors of human leishmaniasis
Summary
Lutzomyia umbratilis (a probable species complex) is the main vector of Leishmania guyanensis in the northern region of Brazil. Lutzomyia anduzei has been implicated as a secondary vector of this parasite These species are closely related and exhibit high morphological similarity in the adult stage; they have been wrongly identified, both in the past and in the present. Leishmania infection is characterized by a species-specific pathology, varying from cutaneous lesions to the potentially fatal visceral form [1,2] This disease occurs in the tropical, subtropical and Mediterranean regions of the world and its global burden has been estimated to be ~500,000 cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and ~1.1-1.5 million cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) per year [2,3]. In the New World, Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis (likely a species complex) is recognized as the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Neotropics [6,7], whereas Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) umbratilis, Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) flaviscutellata, Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) whitmani sensu lato, Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) intermedia sensu lato, Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) neivai, Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) olmeca, Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) gomezi, Lutzomyia (Psychodopygus) wellcomei, Lutzomyia (Viannamyia) furcata, among others, are important vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis [7]
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