Estudo do ciclo de vida, fonte alimentar e capacidade vetorial de Lutzomyia whitmani no Maranhão, Brasil

Abstract

In this study we examined, whether L. whitmani is susceptible to experimental infection by L. brasiliensis, causing Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis, and L. amazonensis, causing Diffuse Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. L. whitmani individuals were collected to establish a colony free from these parasites. Mice were experimentally infected with L. brasiliensis or L. amazonensis parasites. Female of this L. whitmani colony were permitted to feed on mice exhibiting clinical signs of the disease. Phlebotominae infected with parasites were detected by amplifying a Leishmania 120 bp specific kinetoblast DNA by means of PCR. The L. whitmani infection rate for Leishmania brasiliensis and Leishmania amazonensis was 65.2% and 47.4%, respectively and confirmed that the vector is susceptible to experimental L. brasiliensis and L. amazonensis infection. Comparison of the infection rates revealed statistically significant differences. The high L. whitmani infection rate together with epidemiological and entomological studies, verified that L. whitmani is responsible for L. brasiliensis infection. Remarkably, here we report for the first time that L. whitmani is vulnerable to experimental L. amazonensis infection and may be a vector of this pathogen and the distributor for Diffuse Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.