Abstract: | The Algarve Region (AR) in southern Portugal, which is an
international tourist destination, has been considered an endemic region of
zoonotic leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum since the
1980s. In the present study, phlebotomine and canine surveys were conducted to
identify sandfly blood meal sources and to update the occurrence of
Leishmania infection in vectors and dogs. Four sandfly
species were captured: Phlebotomus perniciosus,
Phlebotomus ariasi, Phlebotomus sergenti
and Sergentomyia minuta. In one P. perniciosus
female, L. infantum DNA was detected. Blood meal tests showed
that this species had no host preferences and was an opportunistic feeder. An
overall canine leishmaniasis (CanL) seroprevalence of 16.06% was found; the
seroprevalence was 3.88% in dogs housed in kennels and 40.63% in dogs that
attended veterinary clinics. The simultaneous occurrence of dogs and P.
perniciosus infected with L. infantum in the AR
indicates that the region continues to be an endemic area for CanL. Our results
reinforce the need for the systematic spatial distribution of phlebotomine
populations and their Leishmania infection rates and the need
to simultaneously perform pathogen monitoring in both invertebrate and
vertebrate hosts to investigate the transmission, distribution and spreading of
Leishmania infection. |