Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 26;123(6):253.
doi: 10.1007/s00436-024-08265-3.

Molecular investigation of Leishmania in sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Nahavand, west of Iran

Salman Zafari  1 , Seyedmousa Motavallihaghi  1 , Aref Salehzadeh  2 , Amirhossein Zahirnia  2 , Alireza Sazmand  3 , Amir Hossein Maghsood  4
Affiliations

Molecular investigation of Leishmania in sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Nahavand, west of Iran

Salman Zafari et al. Parasitol Res. .

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by different species of Leishmania is transmitted by Phlebotominae sandflies. This disease remains a public health concern in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine Leishmania infection in sandflies and reservoir rodents in six rural regions of Nahavand, located in western Iran. From May to October 2022, sandflies and rodents were collected and identified at the species level. Additionally, rodents' skin lesions and earlobe specimens were collected separately for microscopic and molecular examination. All specimens were tested for Leishmania DNA by PCRs targeting the parasite's ITS-2 and 18S rRNA gene and positive were Sanger sequenced. A total of 3396 sandflies belonging to seven subgenera and 11 species, i.e., Phlebotomus papatasi (42.7%), P. major (20.6%), P. mascitti (0.3%), P. neglectus (0.2%), P. alexandri (0.2%), P. turanicus (0.3%), Sergentomyia murgabiensis (18.1%), S. dentata (10.5%), S. theodori (5.8%), S. antennata (1.1%), and S. pawlowski (0.1%) were identified. Based on the species population, 29 pools of sandflies were examined for the presence of Leishmania DNA using conventional PCR (cPCR), and individual DNAs were tested when positive. Leishmania major DNA was detected in two P. papatasi and Leishmania sp. in one P. major individual sandfly. This is the first report of Leishmania infection in sandflies from Hamadan province. The captured rodents (n = 61) belonged to four families and seven species, i.e., Arvicola amphibius (37.7%), Mus musculus (29.5%), Microtus socialis (13.1%), Apodemus sylvaticus (11.5%), Talpa davidiana (4.9%), Apodemus witherbyi (1.6%), and Rattus norvegicus (1.6%). Microscopic and molecular examinations of the rodent lesions and earlobes scored negative results. The presence of Leishmania in the Phlebotominae sandflies in Nahavand indicates a potential threat to humans and animals in the region. Regular monitoring and examination of the sandflies' population and timely diagnosis and treatment of new patients are strongly recommended.

Keywords: Leishmania major; PCR; Phlebotominae sandflies; Reservoir.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Feline vector-borne pathogens in Iran.
    Sazmand A, Carbonara M, Moradi L, Almasi P, Saruei S, Moradi-Jam M, Akhondi A, Malekzadeh P, Ghaharzade-Mahabadi S, Bakhshani A, Chashnigir O, Akhtardanesh B, Moosavian H, Ramezani M, Shirani D, Perles L, Mendoza-Roldan JA, Sadeghi-Dehkordi Z, Nabavi R, Jalousian F, Otranto D. Sazmand A, et al. Parasit Vectors. 2025 Apr 28;18(1):160. doi: 10.1186/s13071-025-06788-x. Parasit Vectors. 2025. PMID: 40296134 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Akhavan A et al (2010) Dynamics of Leishmania infection rates in Rhombomys opimus (Rodentia: Gerbillinae) population of an endemic focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran. Bull Soc Pathol Exot 103:84–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13149-010-0044-1 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alcolea PJ, Alonso A, Molina R, Jimenez M, Myler PJ, Larraga V (2019) Functional genomics in sand fly–derived Leishmania promastigotes. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 13:e0007288. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007288 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Aransay AM, Scoulica E, Tselentis Y (2000) Detection and identification of Leishmania DNA within naturally infected sand flies by seminested PCR on minicircle kinetoplastic DNA. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:1933–1938. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.66.5.1933-1938.2000 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Arzamani K et al (2019) Comparative performance of different traps for collection of Phlebotominae sand flies and estimation of biodiversity indices in three endemic leishmaniasis foci in North Khorasan Province, Northeast of Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis 13:399–406 - PubMed - PMC
    1. Campino L, Cortes S, Dionísio L, Neto L, Afonso MO, Maia C (2013) The first detection of Leishmania major in naturally infected Sergentomyia minuta in Portugal. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 108:516–518. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0074-02762013000400020 - DOI - PubMed - PMC

LinkOut - more resources