Studies of host preferences of wild-caught Phlebotomus orientalis and Ph. papatasi vectors of leishmaniasis in Sudan
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS
Abstract
Introduction
Understanding the feeding behavior and host choice of sand flies provides valuable information
on vector-host relationships and elucidates the epidemiological patterns of leishmaniasis
transmission. Blood meal analysis studies are essential for estimating the efficiency of
pathogen transmission, assessing the relative human disease risk, and assist in identifying
the other potential hosts of leishmaniasis. In Sudan and most of East Africa, there are large
remaining gaps in knowledge regarding the feeding habits of phlebotomine vectors. The
study aimed to identify the blood meal sources and, therefore, the host preferences of the
principal vectors Phlebotomus orientalis and Ph. papatasi in leishmaniasis endemic areas
of eastern and central Sudan.
Materials and methods
Sand flies were collected from two endemic villages in eastern and central Sudan using
CDC light traps and sticky traps. The phlebotomine sand flies were morphologically and
then molecularly identified. The source of blood meal of the engorged females was determined
using a multiplex PCR methodology and specific primers of cytochrome b gene of
mitochondrial DNA for human, goat, cow, and dog. The detection of the Leishmania parasite
was done using PCR.
Results
The total number of collected female phlebotomine sand flies was 180. Morphological identification
revealed the abundance of Ph. orientalis 103 (57.2%), Ph. papatasi 42 (23.3%), Ph.
bergeroti 31 (17.2%), Ph. rodhaini 2 (1.1%) and Ph. duboscqi 2 (1.1%) in the study sites.
Out of the 180 collected, 31 (17%) were blood-fed flies. Three species were blood-fed and
molecularly identified: Ph. papatasi (N = 7, 22.6%), Ph. bergeroti (N = 9, 26%), and Ph. orientalis (N = 15, 48.4%). Blood meal analysis revealed human DNA in two Ph. orientalis
(6.4%), hence, the anthropophilic index was 13.3%.
Conclusions
Multiplex PCR protocol described here allowed the identification of blood meal sources of
many vertebrate species simultaneously. The results indicate that wild-caught Ph. orientalis
are anthropophilic in the study areas. Further studies on larger blood-fed sample size are
required to validate the potential applications of this technique in designing, monitoring and
evaluating control programs, particularly in investigating the potential non-human hosts of
leishmaniasis.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Sudan, Phlebotomus orientalis, leishmaniasis
Citation
Elaagip A, Ahmed A, Wilson MD, Boakye DA, Abdel Hamid MM (2020) Studies of host preferences of wild-caught Phlebotomus orientalis and Ph. papatasi vectors of leishmaniasis in Sudan. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0236253. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0236253