Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
Parasit Vectors. 2021 Jan 6;14(1):20. doi: 10.1186/s13071-020-04482-8.
Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Information on sand flies in Central Europe is scarce and, to date, in Austria, only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition.
In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, cytochrome c oxidase I (coxI) and cytochrome b (cytb), revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages: one each from Europe, Turkey and Israel. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and an as yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlight how challenging molecular identification within the Adlerius complex can be, even when standard marker genes are applied.
To our knowledge, this study reports the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria, representing the northernmost recording of this species to date. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships among species within the subgenus Adlerius. Phlebotomus simici is a suspected vector of L. infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas support the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general.
白蛉是利什曼原虫（动基体目：锥虫科）的主要传播媒介。关于中欧的白蛉，信息有限，迄今为止，奥地利只记录了马氏白蛉。2018 年和 2019 年，在奥地利进行了昆虫学调查，旨在进一步阐明白蛉的分布和物种组成。
2019 年，奥地利首次捕获到一只西蒙氏白蛉。对两个常用标记基因——细胞色素 c 氧化酶 I（coxI）和细胞色素 b（cytb）的分析表明，与来自北马其顿和希腊的西蒙氏白蛉标本具有高度的序列同一性。系统发育分析表明，西蒙氏白蛉种内的种内距离较高，从而将该物种分为三个谱系：一个来自欧洲，一个来自土耳其，一个来自以色列。西蒙氏白蛉、短须白蛉和来自土耳其和亚美尼亚的尚未确定的 Adlerius 种之间的种间距离较低，突显出即使应用标准标记基因，在 Adlerius 复合体中进行分子鉴定也具有挑战性。
据我们所知，本研究报告了奥地利首次发现西蒙氏白蛉，这是迄今为止该物种在北部的首次记录。此外，它揭示了 Adlerius 亚属内物种之间系统发育关系的有价值的见解。西蒙氏白蛉是利什曼原虫的疑似传播媒介，因此具有医学和兽医学意义。由于气候变化和从流行地区进口感染利什曼原虫的狗的增加，中欧白蛉的潜在扩张支持了在奥地利和整个中欧进一步研究白蛉分布的必要性。
