First Report on Natural Infection of Phlebotomus sergenti with Leishmania tropica in a Classical Focus of Leishmania major in Tunisia.

In Tunisia, chronic cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania tropica is an important health problem. Its spreading has not been fully elucidated. Information on sandfly vectors, as well as their associated Leishmania species, is of paramount importance since vector dispersion is one of the major factors responsible for pathogen dissemination. Ninety-seven unfed females belonging to the genera Sergentomyia and Phlebotomus were collected between June and August 2015 using sticky paper traps. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 1and sequencing were used for Leishmania detection and identification. In total, 650 sandflies were captured and identified (380 males and 270 females). Ninety-seven unfed females were tested for the presence of Leishmania parasite DNA. Six Phlebotomus sergenti were found positive for L. tropica. This novel finding enhances the understanding of the cycle extension of L. tropica outside its original focus of Tataouine.