First report of natural infection of phlebotomines for Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi captured in Ponta Porã, on the border between Brazil and Paraguay

Visceral leishmaniasis has been reported in all Brazilian regions and, in Mato Grosso do Sul State, the occurrence of cases has increased significantly. The objective of this study was to identify the natural infection of phlebotomines by Leishmania in Ponta Porã, a Brazilian county bordering Paraguay. By using light CDC and Shannon traps, 185 sandfly females were captured, dissected and arranged in 107 pools subjected to DNA extraction and amplification by Polymerase chain reaction. From the samples subjected to amplification, the fragment of 120 bp characteristic of Leishmania sp was observed in one of the groups, which is composed by a female species of Evandromyia cortelezzii (Brèthes, 1923). The minimum infection rate calculated for Ponta Porã was 0.54%, and the occurrence of flagellates and the confirmation of natural infection by Leishmania chagasi pose a serious concern for the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in the region.