Natural infection of the sand fly Phlebotomus kazeruni by Trypanosoma species in Pakistan

The natural infection of phlebotomine sand flies by Leishmania parasites was surveyed in a desert area of Pakistan where cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic. Out of 220 female sand flies dissected, one sand fly, Phlebotomus kazeruni , was positive for flagellates in the hindgut. Analyses of cytochrome b ( cyt b), glycosomal glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase ( gGAPDH ) and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequences identified the parasite as a Trypanosoma species of probably a reptile or amphibian. This is the first report of phlebotomine sand flies naturally infected with a Trypanosoma species in Pakistan. The possible infection of sand flies with Trypanosoma species should be taken into consideration in epidemiological studies of vector species in areas where leishmaniasis is endemic.