Natural infection of Lutzomyia hartmanni with Leishmania (Viannia) equatorensis in Ecuador

The sand fly vector of Leishmania (Viannia) equatorensis was clarified in this paper by serodeme and zymodeme analysis of three unidentified isolates from Lutzomyia hartmanni captured in Ocaña, Department of Cañar, Ecuador. Close agreement of the electrophoretic profiles of 11 enzymes between one strain (IHAR/EC/93/OC-04) of the three isolates and two reference stains of L. (V.) equatorensis was observed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Furthermore, this strain reacted only with 7H9 monoclonal antibody of which species-specificity was shown against L. (V.) equatorensis. These results clearly indicate that strain OC-04 is identified as L. (V.) equatorensis. From these results, it appears that Lu. hartmanni is one of the sand fly vectors of L. (V.) equatorensis.