First detection of Leishmania infantum DNA in Phlebotomus longicuspis Nitzulescu, 1930 from visceral leishmaniasis endemic focus in Algeria.

Two clinico-epidemiological forms of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum complex are endemic in Algeria: human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) and sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis. In the northern part of the country, the Kabylian region is the main endemic HVL focus with more than 200 cases recorded annually. During the summer of 2009, an entomological study was performed in Larbaa Nath Irathen with the aim to identify the vectors of Leishmania and of phleboviruses. In the present paper, we report the results of the Leishmania vectors. In the field, female sand flies, which were alive at collection time, were morphologically identified and examined for the presence of promastigotes. The remaining sandflies (males and dead females) were carried to the laboratory for morphological identification and molecular analysis. Total DNA was extracted from each female sandfly, and ITS2 Leishmania was amplified by PCR. A total of 883 sandfly specimens were collected. Ten distinct species were morphologically identified: one species belonged to the Sergentomyia genus and nine to the Phlebotomus genus. L. infantum DNA was amplified in 1/169 (0.6%) dissected dead females, one Phlebotomus longicuspis. Our data support the Parrot's hypothesis raised in 1941 concerning the role of P. longicuspis in the transmission of L. infantum.