Document details

Co-Circulation of Leishmania Parasites and Phleboviruses in a Population of Sand Flies Collected in the South of Portugal

Author(s): Amaro, Fátima ; Vilares, Anabela ; Martins, Susana ; Reis, Tânia ; Osório, Hugo Costa ; Alves, Maria João ; Gargaté, Maria João

Date: 2023

Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/8910

Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde

Project/scholarship: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/Projetos de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico - 2014/PTDC%2FDTP-SAP%2F0859%2F2014/PT;

Subject(s): Leishmania spp.; Phleboviruses; Phlebotomine Sand Flies; Portugal; Infecções Sistémicas e Zoonoses


Description

This article belongs to the Special Issue Leishmaniasis: Vector-Host-Pathogen Interactions in Health and Disease.

In the Old World, phlebotomine sand flies from the genus Phlebotomus are implicated in the transmission of Leishmania spp. parasites (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) and viruses belonging to the genus Phlebovirus (Bunyavirales: Phenuiviridae). Two of the five sand fly species known to occur in Portugal, Phlebotomus perniciosus and Ph. ariasi, the former being the most ubiquitous, are recognized vectors of Leishmania infantum, which causes visceral leishmaniasis, the most prevalent form of leishmaniasis in the country. Phlebotomus perniciosus is also the vector of the neurotropic Toscana virus, which can cause aseptic meningitis. Entomological surveillance is essential to provide fundamental data about the presence of vectors and the pathogens they can carry. As such, and given the lack of data in Portugal, an entomological survey took place in the Algarve, the southernmost region of the country, from May to October 2018. Polymerase chain reaction assays were performed in order to detect the presence of the above-mentioned pathogens in sand fly pools. Not only were both Leishmania parasites and phleboviruses detected during this study, but more importantly, it was the first time their co-circulation was verified in the same sand fly population collected in Portugal.

This research was partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the project: “Phleboviruses in Portugal—vectors, pathogenesis and co-infections” (PTDC/DTP-SAP/0859/2014).

Document Type Journal article
Language English
Contributor(s) Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde
CC Licence
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