First report of naturally infected Sergentomyia minuta with Leishmania major in Tunisia

International audienceBackground: Many sand fly species are implicated in the transmission cycle of Leishmania parasites around the world. Incriminating new sand flies species, as vectors of Leishmania is crucial to understanding the parasite-vector transmission cycle in different areas in Tunisia and surrounding countries. Findings: Seventy-four unfed females belonging to the genera Sergentomyia and Phlebotomus were collected in South Tunisia between June and November 2014, using sticky papers. PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) was used for Leishmania parasites detection and identification. Leishmania (L.) major (Yakimoff & Shokkor, 1914) was identified within two Sergentomyia (S.) minuta (Rondani, 1843) and one Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli, 1786). Conclusion: This is the first report of L. major identified from S. minuta in Tunisia. This novel finding enhances the understanding of the transmission cycle of L. major parasites of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area in South Tunisia

Natural infection of Ctenodactylus gundi by Leishmania major in Tunisia.

International audienceIncriminating new rodent species, as reservoir hosts of Leishmania parasites is crucial for understanding the transmission cycle of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia. Ctenodactylus (C.) gundi was previously described as extremely abundant in all Tunisian Leishmania (L.) tropica foci in south Tunisia besides its presence in L. major endemic area. The aim of this study was to detect Leishmania species parasites among C. gundi in two endemic regions in Tunisia: Sidi Bouzid and Tataouine. Total DNA was isolated from the spleens and the livers of 92C. gundi. Leishmaniasis clinical manifestations were detected among 11 rodents (12%). Leishmania parasites were detected in 30 (32.6%) rodents using direct exam method. Leishmania DNA was detected in 40 (43.5%) C. gundi by combining results among spleens and livers using ITS1-PCR. Positive samples were confirmed to be L. major except for only one specimen which was L. tropica. These results demonstrated, for the first time, the high natural infection rate of C. gundi with L. major parasites in Tunisia. Hence, C. gundi should be considered as potential reservoir host of Leishmania parasites causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tunisia

Taxonomic status and origin of the Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) inferred from mitochondrial DNA

WOS: 000373092000006PubMed ID: 26961232The Egyptian weasel (Mustela subpalmata) is a small mustelid with a distribution restricted to the lower Nile Valley and the Nile Delta. Traditionally considered a subspecies of the least weasel (M. nivalis), it is currently recognized as a separate species based on morphology. Here we present the first genetic assessment of the taxonomic status of the Egyptian weasel by comparing mitochondrial DNA (Cytochrome b gene and control region) sequences to those of least weasels from the western Palearctic, with a focus on the Mediterranean region. Our results provide no evidence to support the view that the Egyptian weasel is genetically distinct from the least weasel, as we found that, for both Cytochrome b and control region, haplotypes were shared between the two taxa. Specifically, the Cytochrome b and control region haplotypes detected in the Egyptian weasel were also present in M. nivalis from Turkey and Malta, two populations genetically analysed here for the first time. Our results suggest that the Egyptian weasel is distinct from the least weasel populations currently living in the Maghreb, which were inferred to be the result of an earlier colonization of North Africa, but the genetic data alone do not allow us to determine whether the Egyptian weasel is native or introduced. Nevertheless, the observed genetic patterns, together with the weasel fossil record in Israel and the unique commensal lifestyle of the Egyptian weasel, are consistent with the hypothesis that the Egyptian population is a relict of past range expansion from the Levant into Egypt. We suggest that the large size and characteristic sexual dimorphism of the Egyptian weasel are likely to represent ecotypic variation, but genomic studies are required to clarify the extent of its functional genetic divergence.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, MCTES, Portugal) [SFRH/BD/60595/2009]; Ciencia [C2007-UL-342-CBA1]; Academy of FinlandAcademy of Finland [200940, 108601, 118673]; American University in CairoAmerican University Cairo; Turkish National Science Foundation (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110T930]We thank Lluis Parpal (COFIB, Spain), Afif Ben Salah (Institut Pasteur de Tunis); Maurizio Gattabria (Museo Civico di Zoologia de Roma), Federico Striglioni and Gino Damiani (Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga), and Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise for providing samples. We also thank Jacquelin DeFaveri (University of Helsinki) for reviewing the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. MR and CF acknowledge financial support from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, MCTES, Portugal) through, respectively, the PhD Fellowship SFRH/BD/60595/2009 and the Ciencia 2007 Contract C2007-UL-342-CBA1. JM acknowledges support from the Academy of Finland (Grants 200940, 108601 and 118673). ARB acknowledges financial support from the American University in Cairo through a faculty research grant. PJS thanks the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for granting permits to work on the protected Maltese weasel. SOO acknowledges support from the Turkish National Science Foundation (TUBITAK) through the project 110T930

Descriptive statistics revealing genetic characteristics and variation of the ten microsatellite loci detected in the population of 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from Tunisian rodents and worldwide.

<p>N, number of genotypes; NA, number of allele per locus; Ho, observed heterozygosity; He, expected heterozygosity; Fis, inbreeding coefficient.</p><p>Descriptive statistics revealing genetic characteristics and variation of the ten microsatellite loci detected in the population of 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from Tunisian rodents and worldwide.</p

First report of naturally infected Sergentomyia minuta with Leishmania major in Tunisia

Abstract Background Many sand fly species are implicated in the transmission cycle of Leishmania parasites around the world. Incriminating new sand flies species, as vectors of Leishmania is crucial to understanding the parasite–vector transmission cycle in different areas in Tunisia and surrounding countries. Findings Seventy-four unfed females belonging to the genera Sergentomyia and Phlebotomus were collected in South Tunisia between June and November 2014, using sticky papers. PCR-RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) was used for Leishmania parasites detection and identification. Leishmania (L.) major (Yakimoff & Shokkor, 1914) was identified within two Sergentomyia (S.) minuta (Rondani, 1843) and one Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli, 1786). Conclusion This is the first report of L. major identified from S. minuta in Tunisia. This novel finding enhances the understanding of the transmission cycle of L. major parasites of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area in South Tunisia

Theoretical sizes and repetition numbers among the ten-microsatellite loci in Tunisian studied isolates.

<p>*: New allele not previously described.</p><p>Theoretical sizes and repetition numbers among the ten-microsatellite loci in Tunisian studied isolates.</p

Neighbour-joining tree inferred from the Dps distances calculated for 55 <i>L. major</i> strains isolated from different rodents (40 Tunisian and 15 from other geographic origins) according to the 10 microsatellites analyzed.

<p>Strains isolated among <i>P. obesus</i> (P), <i>M. shawi</i> (M), <i>Tatera sp.</i> (T) and <i>R. opimus</i> (R) were classified into 10 genotypes Lmj01, Lmj02, Lmj14, Lmj15, Lmj17, Lmj21, Lmj37, Lmj39, Lmj65 (as described in<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0107043#pone.0107043-AlJawabreh1" target="_blank">[21]</a>) and RdTN from Africa (AF), Middle East (ME) and Central Asia (CA). RdTN indicates the genotype obtained from Tunisian reservoirs. Results are shown as radial tree where the percentages (under 80%) with which a branch is supported in 1000 bootstrap replications are indicated.</p

Geographical distribution of strains isolated from the Central Tunisia study area.

<p>Panel A shows the square delimited study area in the Governorate of Sidi Bouzid (in gray). Panel B represents the land satellite image of the study area showing the distribution of animal reservoir hosts from which the <i>L. major</i> strains were isolated. Isolates from <i>P. obesus</i> origin were noted P and colored in green, from <i>M. shawi</i> origin were noted Mer and colored in yellow, and from <i>M. nivalis</i> was noted M and colored in red. Spatial data related to the reservoir hosts of these strains were collected using the Global Positioning System (GPS). Satellite imagery: ArcGIS software.</p

Evaluation of the Taxonomic Status of Lesser Egyptian Jerboa, Jaculus jaculus: First Description of New Phylogroups in Tunisia

The taxonomy of the Lesser Egyptian jerboa, Jaculus (J.) jaculus (Dipodinae subfamily), was recently reevaluated, and the taxonomic status was defined by the presence of two cryptic species, J. jaculus (Linnaeus 1758) and J. hirtipes (Lichtenstein, 1823), with a higher genetic divergence in the sympatric North African populations than in other studied parapatric populations. Using phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome b (Cytb) gene from 46 specimens, we confirmed the new status in Tunisia; rodents were collected from two different biotopes belonging to the same locality at the ecological level (mountainous vs. Saharan) in the south of the country. The study of the eye lens weight of these specimens allowed the definition of a cutoff value (58.5 g), categorizing juveniles from adults. Moreover, this study confirmed the phylotaxonomic status of J. jaculus in Tunisia, as recently illustrated, into two distinct species, J. jaculus and J. hirtipes, and recorded for the first time the presence of two phylogroups among each of these rodent species. The lack of clear micro-geographical structure and biotope specificity between the two rodent species and their phylogroups was also highlighted