Academic Journal
First record of Phlebotomus sergenti (Diptera: Psychodidae) in China and its potential epidemiological implications.
| Τίτλος: | First record of Phlebotomus sergenti (Diptera: Psychodidae) in China and its potential epidemiological implications. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Dong H; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.; Key Laboratory of Biosafety Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China., Yang A; Faculty of Naval Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China., Shan W; Faculty of Naval Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China., Zhao C; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.; Key Laboratory of Biosafety Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China., Li X; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.; Key Laboratory of Biosafety Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China., Rui B; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.; Key Laboratory of Biosafety Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China., Zhao J; Institute of Parasitic and Brucellosis Prevention and Treatment, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China., Wumaier M; Institute of Parasitic and Brucellosis Prevention and Treatment, Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, China., Peng H; Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China.; Key Laboratory of Biosafety Defense, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China., Ma Y; Faculty of Naval Medicine, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China. |
| Πηγή: | PLoS neglected tropical diseases [PLoS Negl Trop Dis] 2026 Oct 05; Vol. 20 (10), pp. e0014726. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Oct 05 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101291488 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1935-2735 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19352727 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS Negl Trop Dis Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Phlebotomus*/genetics , Phlebotomus*/classification , Phlebotomus*/anatomy & histology , Phlebotomus*/parasitology , Phlebotomus*/physiology , Insect Vectors*/genetics , Insect Vectors*/classification , Insect Vectors*/parasitology, China/epidemiology ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Cytochromes b/genetics ; Animals ; Female ; Phylogeny ; Male ; Humans |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Leishmaniasis is a severe parasitic disease transmitted by sand fly bites. Phlebotomus sergenti is a principal vector of Leishmania tropica, causing anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) across the Mediterranean, North Africa, South Asia, and West Asia. The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located in northwestern China, is a well-recognized endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), with sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis cases also documented in the region. Nevertheless, Ph. sergenti has never been reported in China prior to this study. Methodology/principal Findings: Field investigations were carried out in Artux City (July 2023) and Akto County (August-September 2024), Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Sand flies were collected using light traps in livestock pens and residential areas. A total of 2,013 sand fly specimens were collected and 319 of them were identified through morphological examination of the pharynx, spermathecae, and genitalia, combined with molecular analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) genes. Among the identified specimens, 145 specimens were identified as Ph. sergenti (36 from Artux City, 109 from Akto County), representing the first record of this species in China. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI and Cyt b sequences showed that Chinese Ph. sergenti populations clustered with those from neighboring countries (e.g., Afghanistan), with no significant genetic differentiation between the two sampling localities. Metagenomic screening of pooled samples revealed the presence of Wolbachia endosymbionts but no detection of Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp. or Bartonella spp. in the collected Ph. sergenti specimens. Conclusions/significance: This study represents the first confirmed record of Ph. sergenti in China, filling a critical gap in the distribution map of this medically important sand fly species. The occurrence of Ph. sergenti at the China-Kyrgyzstan border region suggests potential transboundary dispersal of this vector and underscores the need for enhanced surveillance and cross-border collaborative efforts to monitor the spread of leishmaniasis and other vector-borne diseases in Central Asia. (Copyright: © 2026 Dong et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. |
| References: | Zhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi. 2025 Feb 11;37(1):8-13. (PMID: 40235371) China CDC Wkly. 2024 Nov 15;6(46):1201-1205. (PMID: 39582903) Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024 Jul 09;9(7):. (PMID: 39058195) One Health. 2025 Apr 21;20:101050. (PMID: 40959799) Microorganisms. 2022 May 11;10(5):. (PMID: 35630455) Transbound Emerg Dis. 2025 Sep 18;2025:7588132. (PMID: 41018668) Nat Biotechnol. 2023 Nov;41(11):1633-1644. (PMID: 36823356) Parasit Vectors. 2019 Jan 15;12(1):33. (PMID: 30646951) J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2017 Dec 30;11(4):504-514. (PMID: 29367927) J Arthropod Borne Dis. 2016 Oct 04;10(4):462-473. (PMID: 28032098) J Vector Ecol. 2018 Dec;43(2):205-214. (PMID: 30408284) Parasit Vectors. 2025 Jun 10;18(1):220. (PMID: 40495218) Parasite. 2004 Jun;11(2):189-99. (PMID: 15224581) Bioinformatics. 2012 Dec 1;28(23):3150-2. (PMID: 23060610) Arch Microbiol. 2026 Jan 12;208(2):121. (PMID: 41524916) Afr Health Sci. 2019 Mar;19(1):1329-1337. (PMID: 31148958) Parasit Vectors. 2025 Dec 2;19(1):12. (PMID: 41331487) Parasite. 2017;24:26. (PMID: 28730992) Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2011 Mar;11(3):247-58. (PMID: 20846030) Mol Biol Evol. 2024 Dec 6;41(12):. (PMID: 39708372) Bioinformatics. 2015 May 15;31(10):1674-6. (PMID: 25609793) Exp Appl Acarol. 2019 Mar;77(3):425-433. (PMID: 30805816) Front Microbiol. 2022 Aug 29;13:959901. (PMID: 36106082) Acta Parasitol. 2022 Jun;67(2):858-866. (PMID: 35294974) Clin Microbiol Rev. 2015 Oct;28(4):987-1004. (PMID: 26354822) Infect Dis Poverty. 2016 Feb 23;5:15. (PMID: 26906187) PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022 Dec 5;16(12):e0010886. (PMID: 36469546) J Med Entomol. 2023 Mar 6;60(2):294-305. (PMID: 36610984) Mol Ecol Resour. 2020 Jan;20(1):348-355. (PMID: 31599058) Trop Med Infect Dis. 2024 Oct 28;9(11):. (PMID: 39591264) Curr Biol. 2019 Feb 4;29(3):499-505.e4. (PMID: 30686739) J Vector Ecol. 2011 Mar;36 Suppl 1:S49-57. (PMID: 21366780) Nucleic Acids Res. 2023 Jul 5;51(W1):W587-W592. (PMID: 37144476) PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2026 May 21;20(5):e0014344. (PMID: 42166495) PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2018 Mar 2;12(3):e0006315. (PMID: 29499040) Pathog Glob Health. 2018 May;112(3):152-160. (PMID: 29745300) BMC Bioinformatics. 2010 Mar 08;11:119. (PMID: 20211023) PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Jul 19;15(7):e0009479. (PMID: 34280193) Nat Methods. 2017 Apr;14(4):417-419. (PMID: 28263959) Trends Parasitol. 2026 Feb;42(2):115-126. (PMID: 41506920) |
| Substance Nomenclature: | EC 1.9.3.1 (Electron Transport Complex IV) 9035-37-4 (Cytochromes b) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20261005 Date Completed: 20261009 Latest Revision: 20261011 |
| Update Code: | 20261011 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13652333 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014726 |
| PMID: | 42832605 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1935-2735 |
|---|---|
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pntd.0014726 |