Abstract
BackgroundLeishmaniasis in Serbia was an endemic disease, and is considered to be eradicated for more than 40 years. In the past decade sporadic cases of canine leishmaniasis started to emerge for the first time in Vojvodina Province (previously non-endemic region of Serbia). Reports of introduced, and later on autochthonous cases of leishmaniasis alerted the possibility of disease emergence. The aim of this study was to bridge more than a half a century wide gap in entomological surveillance of sand fly vectors in Vojvodina, as well as to verify the presence of the vector species that could support Leishmania spp. circulation.ResultsDuring the period 2013–2015, a total of 136 sand flies were collected from 48 of 80 surveyed locations. Four sand fly species of the genus Phlebotomus were detected: P. papatasi, P. perfiliewi, P. mascittii and P. neglectus. Detection of P. mascittii represents the first record of this species for the sand fly fauna in Vojvodina and in Serbia. All female specimens (n = 80) were tested for Leishmania spp. DNA, and three blood-fed P. papatasi specimens were positive (4%). One positive DNA sample was successfully amplified by ITS1 nPCR. The RFLP analysis of the resulting 350 bp fragment showed a typical pattern of L. infantum, and the ITS1 partial sequence blasted in GenBank confirmed 100% identity with L. infantum and L. donovani complex sequences. This result represents the first record of both Leishmania spp. and L. infantum DNA from sand flies in Vojvodina, and in Serbia.ConclusionsPresence of autochthonous canine leishmaniasis cases, records of Phlebotomus (Larroussius) species proven vectors of L. infantum (P. perfiliewi and P. neglectus) and detection of L. infantum DNA from wild caught (non-competent) vectors, prove that L. infantum is present in Vojvodina and indicates a probable circulation in the region.
Highlights
Leishmaniasis in Serbia was an endemic disease, and is considered to be eradicated for more than 40 years
The majority of specimens (n = 130) belonged to P. papatasi (75 females, 54 males, 1 undetermined) (GenBank: KY848828), three females were identified as P. perfiliewi (GenBank: KY848829), two females as P. mascittii and one female as P. neglectus (GenBank: KY848830)
Phlebotomus papatasi was the predominant species in Vojvodina, found in 55% of surveyed locations (91.67% of positive locations)
Summary
Leishmaniasis in Serbia was an endemic disease, and is considered to be eradicated for more than 40 years. Later on autochthonous cases of leishmaniasis alerted the possibility of disease emergence. The leishmaniases are major vector-borne diseases caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. Around one billion of people are at risk of infection while number of reported cases per year is estimated at 0.7–1.3 million for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and 200,000–400,000 for visceral leishmaniasis (VL), causing over than 20,000 deaths annually [1]. In Europe, leishmaniasis is endemic in all southern countries, with ~700 (3950 if Turkey is included) autochthonous human cases reported every year [1]. The spread of Leishmania infantum, causative agent of zoonotic VL and CL in humans and domestic dogs (reservoir host) represents a major threat to Europe. Climate and land cover changes could support northward dispersal of vectors, establishment of seasonal biting rates matching those of southern Europe, permitting autochthonous transmission [2]
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