Conserved and distinct morphological aspects of the salivary glands of sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis: an anatomical
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rasites & Vectors Open Access
RESEARCH
Conserved and distinct morphological aspects of the salivary glands of sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis: an anatomical and ultrastructural study Rafael Nacif‑Pimenta1, Luciana C. Pinto1, Vera Volfova2, Petr Volf2, Paulo F. P. Pimenta1 and Nagila F. C. Secundino1*
Abstract Background: Sand flies are vectors of Leishmania spp., the causative agents of leishmaniasis in vertebrates, includ‑ ing man. The sand fly saliva contains powerful pharmacologically active substances that prevent hemostasis and enhance Leishmania spp. infections. On the other hand, salivary proteins can protect vaccinated mice challenged with parasites. Therefore, sand fly salivary proteins are relevant for the epidemiology of leishmaniasis and can be a potential target for a vaccine against leishmaniasis. Despite this, studies on sand fly salivary glands (SGs) are limited. Methods: The present study analyzes, in detail, the morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of the SGs of sand fly vectors of the genera Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus. We used histology, transmission and scanning electron microscopy and lectin labeling associated with confocal laser microscopy. Results: The SGs have conserved and distinct morphological aspects according to the distinct sand fly species. Each SG has a single rounded lobe constituting of c.100–120 secretory cells. The SG secretory cells, according to their ultras‑ tructure and lectin binding, were classified into five different subpopulations, which may differ in secretory pathways. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, these morphological details of sand fly salivary glands are described for the first time. Further studies are necessary to better understand the role of these different cell types and better relate them with the production and secretion of the saliva substances, which has a fundamental role in the interaction of the sand fly vectors with Leishmania. Keywords: Secretory cell population, Ultrastructure, Lectin binding, Sand fly vectors Background Female sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are blood-feeding insects and the main vectors of the parasite Leishmania (Ross, 1903), the causative agent of leishmaniasis and a neglected tropical disease with worldwide distribution.
*Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Laboratory of Medical Entomology, Institute René Rachou, Foundation Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz-MG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Over 90 sand fly species are known to transmit Leishmania parasites affecting people in 98 countries including 18 in the Americas [1]. The sand fly genus Phlebotomus (Loew, 1845) is responsible for Old World transmission and the genus Lutzomyia (France, 1924) for America transmission [2]. About 31 species of Leishmania parasites have been identified to date to be parasites of mammals and 20 species are pathogenic for humans (see [3] for a review).
© The Author(s) 2020. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licen
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