Mitochondrial DNA characterization of Sergentomyia sintoni populations and finding mammalian Leishmania infections in this sandfly by using ITS-rDNA gene

Sergentomyia sintoni is the natural vector of Sauroleishmania species of lizards. This sandfly isabundance in and around the burrows of great gerbils. S. sintoni was collected from peridomestic animalshelters, inside and around houses and also from the nearby burrows of the gerbil reservoir hosts,Rhombomys opimus, in several provinces of Iran. Mitochondrial Cytochrome b (Cyt b) of sandflies, which isa maternally-inherited gene marker was used to characterize different haplotypes and populations of thissandfly. The analyses were based on the last 717 bp of the Cyt b gene followed by 20 bp of intergenic spacerand the transfer RNA ser (TCN) gene, i.e. the 737 bp fragment (without primers) amplified with the primersCB1-SE and CB-R06. The ITS-rDNA gene was also used to find Leishmania infections in S. sintoni. Cyt b5´ fragment sequences were obtained from 22 S. sintoni, Cyt b 3´ fragment sequences were also obtainedfrom 22 and Cyt b Long fragment sequences were obtained from 19 S. sintoni. By using nested PCR of ITSrDNAgene, at least two species of L. major and L. gerbilli s.l. were found in S. sintoni. It needs furtherstudies for considering the vectorial role of S. sintoni in ZCL foci, it’s important role in maintaining L. majorinfections in the great gerbil and transmitting Leishmania species to people and among the reservoir hosts.