Detection of DNA in Phlebotomine Sand Flies in Tsatee, a Community in the Volta Region, Ghana.

parasites, which are spread by infected female sand flies, are the cause of the disease leishmaniasis. Although cutaneous leishmaniasis has been found to occur in the Volta Region, there is limited data on vector species and reservoirs. This study focused on the Tsatee community, in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region, and is aimed at identifying the sand fly fauna and detecting the presence of DNA by the use of primers that target the conserved region of spp. minicircle DNA of the parasite kinetoplast. The miniature light traps and hand aspirators provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were used to collect outdoor and indoor sand flies for five months in a guinea woodland and semideciduous forest area. From the collections, 4,580 phlebotomine sand flies were obtained and identified, and females were examined for DNA using PCR. The male flies were 1,202 (26.24%), non-blood-fed females were 3,321 (72.51%), and 57 (1.25%) were blood-fed females. It was observed that species constituted 99.91% of the total collected sand flies with (76.77%) as the predominant species. (0.09%) was the only species identified from the study area. From 283 non-blood-fed sand fly pools and 57 individual blood-fed species screened, DNA was detected in 12 (4.24%) pools and 8 (14.04%) individuals, respectively. It was observed that DNA was detected in all the sand fly species identified except . This study reports the first detection of DNA in in Ghana, with an infection rate of 33.33% (95% CI, 1.23-88.32). The findings suggest that the role of in disease transmission in the study area cannot be discounted. Future studies should include continuous surveillance, blood meal preferences, and vector competence of the various infected phlebotomine sand flies to create effective control measures.