Trypanosomes and Other Microorganisms from Panamanian Phlebotomus Sandflies

Abstract

One Panamanian species of sandfly, Phlebotomus vespertilionis, usually associated with bats, has a high overall rate of infection (67.9%) with a trypanosome. Both crithidial and trypanosomal forms are found in the mid- and hindgut but not in the foregut or mouthparts. In the hindgut there may be large numbers of the dominant crithidial forms attached to the epithelium. It has not been determined whether or not the sandfly trypanosome is the same as that occurring in associated bats. Trypanosomes were also found in another species, P. trinidadensis, but at a much lower rate (3.3%). Occasional infections of the hemocoel with gregarines, fungi, and nematodes have been noted in a number of species. During an extensive series of dissections of wild-caught Panamanian Phlebotomus with the primary objective of determining the extent and kind of leptomonad flagellate infections in guts of wild sandflies, a variety of other organisms was encountered. The leptomonad flagellate infections have been discussed by Johnson, McConnell, and Hertig (1963). The purpose of the present paper is to give our observations on the other organisms found in and on wild sandflies of our series. Other investigators have found a number of organisms aside from leptomonad flagellates associated with Phlebotomus, including mites, fungi, tapeworm larvae, nematodes, gregarines, and trypanosomal and crithidial flagellates (among others, Adler and Mayrink, 1961; Her- rer, 1942; Lewis and Minter, 1960; Shortt and Swaminath, 1927; Subramaniam and Naidu, 1944). In our series we found all except tape- worm larvae. Of special interest are the tryp- anosome infections and the bulk of our dis- cussion will deal with these. Trypanosomes