First Report of Natural Infection of Phlebotomus mongolensis to Leishmania major and Leishmania turanica in the Endemic Foci of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran

Azad Absavaran; Mehdi Mohebali; Vahideh  Moin-Vaziri; Alireza Zahraei-Ramazani; Amir Ahmad Akhavan; Sayena Rafizadeh; Amirhossin Rassi; Alireza Barmaki; Yavar Rassi

doi:10.18502/jad.v16i4.12086

Azad Absavaran Department of Medical Entomology and Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mehdi Mohebali Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Vahideh Moin-Vaziri Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Zahraei-Ramazani Department of Medical Entomology and Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Amir Ahmad Akhavan Department of Medical Entomology and Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Sayena Rafizadeh Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
Amirhossin Rassi Faulty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Barmaki Department of Medical Entomology and Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Yavar Rassi Department of Medical Entomology and Vector control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jad.v16i4.12086

Keywords: Leishmaniasis; Phlebotomus caucasicus; Phlebotomus mongolensis; Leishmania major; Leishmania turanica

Abstract

Background: The primary aim of this study is to determine infection to Leishmania parasites in the wild population of Phlebotomus caucasicus and Phlebotomus mongolensis using molecular methods in some important zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis foci in Iran.

Methods: Sand flies were collected from active colonies of rodent burrows from 16 trapping sites using sticky trap paper. In order to detect and identify of Leishmania parasites in females Ph. caucasicus and Ph. mongolensis, the Nested–PCR amplification of ITS2-rDNA region was performed to generate amplicon with 245bp for Leishmania major, 206bp for L. gerbilli and 141bp for L. turanica.

Results: In the current study we found DNA of different gerbil parasites such as L. major and L. turanica, and mixed infection of L. major/L. turanica in Ph. caucasicus and Ph. mongolensis. It should be noted that, in Iran, natural infection with Leishmania parasites is recorded for the first time in this study in Ph. mongolensis.

Conclusion: Both species of Ph. caucasicus and Ph. mongolensis not only may participate in the ZCL transmission cycle between reservoir hosts, but also results of this study support the role of these species as secondary vectors in the transmission of leishmaniasis to humans.