Molecular screening of L eishmania spp. infection and bloodmeals in sandflies from a leishmaniasis focus in southwestern T urkey

Leishmaniasis is an arthropod‐borne disease that affects approximately 2 million people worldwide annually. The aims of this study were to detect the presence of L eishmania ( K inetoplastida: T rypanosomatidae) DNA and the feeding preferences of probable vector species in an endemic focus of L eishmania infantum in T urkey. Entomological sampling was performed in A ugust and O ctober 2015 in A ydın province, where cases of human and canine leishmaniasis have been reported previously. A total of 1059 sandfly specimens comprising nine species belonging to two genera, P hlebotomus and S ergentomyia (both: D iptera: P sychodidae), and five subgenera of the P hlebotomus genus ( P hlebotomus , P araphlebotomus , L arroussius , A dlerius and T ransphlebotomus ) were collected in five villages. Among all P hlebotomus specimens, P hlebotomus neglectus (39%) was noted as the most abundant species, followed by P hlebotomus tobbi (18%). L eishmania DNA was detected in pools from P . neglectus , P . tobbi and S ergentomyia dentata by kDNA polymerase chain reaction ( PCR ). L eishmania DNA from P hlebotomus specimens was identified as L . infantum , but L eishmania DNA from S ergentomyia spp. could not be identified to species level by ITS‐1 real‐time PCR . The detection of L eishmania DNA in wild‐caught P . neglectus and the high percentage (24.2%) of human DNA in engorged specimens suggests that P . neglectus is probably an important vector species for L . infantum in A ydın province.