Establishment of a laboratory colony of Pressatia choti (Diptera: Psychodidae), a suspected vector of Leishmania braziliensis

TL;DR

Researchers successfully created a lab colony of Pressatia choti sand flies, which may help study their role in spreading Leishmania braziliensis.

Contribution

The first successful establishment of a laboratory colony of Pressatia choti for potential use in leishmaniasis research.

Findings

A laboratory colony of Pressatia choti was successfully established.

The life cycle of Pr. choti ranged from 31 to 56 days under controlled conditions.

Biological parameters of Pr. choti are comparable to other neotropical sand flies.

Abstract

Pressatia choti is a common sand fly found in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which is suspected to be involved in the transmission of Leishmania braziliensis. Herein, we aimed to establish a Pr. choti laboratory colony.

Wild-caught female sand flies were blood fed on hamsters and maintained under controlled conditions (temperature: 26 °C; relative humidity: 70%).

Of the 301 collected female sandflies, 288 were identified as Pr. choti. The life cycle duration ranged from 31 to 56 days.

We successfully established a Pr. choti colony, whose biological parameters were similar to those of other neotropical sand flies.

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