Phenotypic and molecular detection of bio-ecological cutaneosis leishmanisis vector (diptera: psychodidae), with diagnosis cutaneous leishmaniasis in patients in Erbil province, Iraq

Phlebotomine sandflies are an important group of insects from a medical perspective that are responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis. The phenotypic and genotypic investigation of species of sand flies (Al-Harms) as the vector of CL, with the microscopic investigation of bio-Ecological CL in Patients was conducted in the Erbil province-Iraq for the first time between January and December 2022. Out of 2054 collected samples 1137 (55.4%) were male and 917 (44.6%) were female. statistically, there is no correlation between gender and sandfly species at (P=0.20). Three species were identified as belonging to the genus Phlepotomus: P. papatasi, P. sergenti, and P. alexandria. P. papatasi was the most common species, with 1163 (15.6%), followed by P. sergenti 598 (29.1%), and P. alexandri 293(14.1%). There were two peaks of seasonal abundance of sand flies, the first peak of the seasonally abundant CL vectors occurred in May, while the second peak occurred in September, statistically, there is a correlation between the periods and sand fly species at (p<0.05). This study used sequencing analysis of the mtDNA COI gene region to verify the results of morphological identification of sandfly species in Erbil province, Iraq. The current work used PCR-direct sequencing to find and identify P. papatasi, P. sergenti, and P. alexandria. originated from Erbil province endemic CL. According to a phylogenetic tree analysis using the Phlebotomus species standard NCBI BLAST program, local Phlebotomus papatasi, Phlebotomus sergenti, and Phlebotomus alexandri isolates from various places in the Erbil province were subjected to DNA sequencing. Phlebotomus papatasi, Phlebotomus sergenti, and Phlebotomus alexandri isolates from the local area were used to analyze the mtDNA COI gene sequence using M'EGA 6.0, a multiple alignment analysis tool. The city's health system must take the necessary precautions to control sand fly species as the vectors of CL disease. Controlling the sandflies will be a key to controlling (CL) disease. The microscopic investigation was carried out using oil immersion light microscopy (100X) subsequent to the staining of smear samples, due to of getting treatment or contamination the human CL cases: only 82(65.6%) cases were positive CL, out of 135 obtained from human patients' cases. There was significant difference between the genders at (P>0.05) in the CL rate, which was higher in males than females 84(62.2%) versus 51 (37.8%). CL had a significant frequency and was the most frequent endemic disease in the Makhmur district. In this investigation, 82patients (65.6%) were shown to have CL infection in a lab setting. A CL infection is more likely to affect younger age groups. The investigation discovered two cases of severe and numerous CL lesions in children younger than a year old. At 63 cases (46.6%), CL was most common in the 1 to 25-year-old age range. In terms of clinical outcomes, the most frequently affected areas by CL were the upper limbs in 62/135 patients (45.9%), the lower limbs in 39/135 patients (28.9%), and the face (including the ears and nose) in 28/135 patients (20.7%). Additionally, 6/135 patients (4.4%) had several organs in their bodies where CL lesions were found. P<0.05 indicates that these results are statistically significant. According to the findings, february 2022, January 2022, March 2022, December 2022 and November 2022 all had higher infection rates (31.9%, 20%, 9.6%, 6.7% and 5.9% respectively). Following that, there was a significant decline in the rates. According to the findings, the rate of infection was highest in the months of February, January, and March at moderate mean temperatures (Cº). In contrast, the rate decreased in the hotter months of April, May, June, July, August, and September (infection rates: 4.4%, 6.7%, 3.7%, 3.7%, 3.7%, and 3.7%, respectively), but it was zero in October. Significant variations in the rate of CL were seen in these data at (P<0.05). The winter months of January, February, and December had the highest percentage, while the summer and fall had the lowest. The study tries to find out the correlation between emerging of sand flies spp. and CL cases. In the lighting of study findings, the study noticed a strong relationship between emerging sand flies spp. and CL disease. In comparing the Leishmania parasite incubation period to the emergence of Sandflies and CL cases, statistical analysis reveals significant differences at (P<0.05). There were two peaks of existing CL. along the year, first peak was in February and the second peak was in December.