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1 December 2016 Detection of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis in Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in an Endemic Area of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Brazilian Amazonia
José Manuel Macário Rebêlo, Bruno Leite Rodrigues, Maria da Conceição Abreu Bandeira, Jorge Luiz Pinto Moraes, Raquel Silva Fonteles, Silma Regina Ferreira Pereira
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Abstract

Biting midges in the genus Culicoides act as vectors of arboviruses throughout the world and as vectors of filariasis in Latin America, the Caribbean, and parts of Africa. Although Culicoides spp. are currently not considered to be vectors of Leishmania protozoa, the high abundance of biting midges in areas with active cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission points to the possibility of Culicoides infection by these pathogens. We used PCR to test captured Culicoides species for natural infection with Leishmania spp. We tested 450 Culicoides females, divided into 30 pools of 15 individuals each, as follows: nine pools of C. foxi (135 specimens), seven pools of C. filariferus (105), seven pools of C. insignis (105), five pools of C. ignacioi (75), and two pools of C. flavivenula (30). PCR confirmed the presence of Leishmania braziliensis DNA in C. ignacioi (0.14%), C. insignis (0.14%), and C. foxi (0.11); and Le. amazonensis DNA in C. filariferus (0.14%) and C. flavivenula (0.50%). We conclude that these Culicoides species can be naturally infected, but vector competence and transmission capability must be confirmed in future studies. Our results warrant further investigation into the role of these biting midge species in the leishmaniasis epidemiological cycle.

José Manuel Macário Rebêlo, Bruno Leite Rodrigues, Maria da Conceição Abreu Bandeira, Jorge Luiz Pinto Moraes, Raquel Silva Fonteles, and Silma Regina Ferreira Pereira "Detection of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis in Culicoides (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in an Endemic Area of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Brazilian Amazonia," Journal of Vector Ecology 41(2), 303-308, (1 December 2016). https://doi.org/10.1111/jvec.12227
Received: 8 July 2016; Accepted: 1 August 2016; Published: 1 December 2016
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KEYWORDS
biological vector
biting midge
Leishmania
parasite ecology
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