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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 79(3), 2008, pp. 438-440
Copyright © 2008 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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SHORT REPORT


Natural Infection of Lutzomyia tortura with Leishmania (Viannia) naiffi in an Amazonian Area of Ecuador

Hirotomo Kato*, Eduardo A. Gomez, Yu-ichi Yamamoto, Manuel Calvopiña, Angel G. Guevara, Jorge D. Marco, Paola A. Barroso, Hiroyuki Iwata, AND Yoshihisa Hashiguchi
Department of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Japan; Departamento de Oncocercosis, Servicio Nacional de Erradicacion de la Malaria, Ministerio de Salud Publica, Quito, Ecuador; Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan; Biologia Molecular, ESPE-Biotechnologia, Quito, Ecuador; Unidad de Medicina Tropical y Parasitologia, Centro de Biomedicina, Universidad Central, Quito, Ecuador; Department of Parasitology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan

 

ABSTRACT

Natural infection of sand flies with Leishmania parasites was surveyed in an Amazonian area in Ecuador where leishmaniasis is endemic. Seventy-one female sand flies were dissected and one was positive for Leishmania protozoa. The species of this sand fly was identified as Lutzomyia (Lu.) tortura on the basis of morphologic characteristics. Analysis of the cytochrome b gene sequence identified the parasite as L. (Viannia) naiffi. We report the distribution of L. (V.) naiffi in Ecuador and detection of a naturally infected sand fly in the Ecuadorian Amazon and natural infection of Lu. tortura with Leishmania parasites in the New World.

Received May 8, 2008. Accepted for publication June 18, 2008.

Acknowledgments: We thank Roberto Sud (Ministerio de Salud Publica y Asistencia Social, Guayaquil, Ecuador) and Flavio-Valeriano Zambrano (Servicio Ncional de Erradicacion de la Malaria, Guayaquil, Ecuador) for technical assistance throughout the study, and Dr. Luiggi Martini and Dr. Ernesto Gutierrez V. (Instituto Nacional de Higiene y Medicina Tropical, Guayaquil, Ecuador) for arranging our field activities. We also thank the DNA Core Facility of the Center for Gene Research, Yamaguchi University for technical assistance.

Financial support: This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan (grants 14256004, 18256004, and 18780230). The DNA Core Facility of the Center for Gene Research, Yamaguchi University, was supported by a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan.

* Address correspondence to Hirotomo Kato, Department of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan. E-mail: katoh{at}yamaguchi-u.ac.jp

Authors’ addresses: Hirotomo Kato and Hiroyuki Iwata, Department of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan. Eduardo A. Gomez, Departamento de Oncocercosis, Servicio Nacional de Erradicacion de la Malaria, Ministerio de Salud Publica, Quito, Ecuador. Yu-ichi Yamamoto, Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan. Manuel Calvopiña and Angel G. Guevara, Unidad de Medicina Tropical y Parasitologia, Centro de Biomedicina, Universidad Central, Quito, Ecuador. Jorge D. Marco, Paola A. Barroso, and Yoshihisa Hashiguchi, Department of Parasitology, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.

Reprint requests: Hirotomo Kato, Department of Veterinary Hygiene, Faculty of Agriculture, Yamaguchi University, 1677-1 Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan, E-mail: katoh{at}yamaguchi-u.ac.jp.






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