Disentangling detrimental sand fly-mite interactions in a closed laboratory sand fly colony: implications for vector-borne disease studies and guidelines for overcoming severe mite infestations

• Published in: Parasites & vectors Vol. 17; no. 1; p. 11
• Main Authors: Nzelu, Chukwunonso O, Meneses, Claudio, Bowhay, Christina, Coutinho-Abreu, Iliano V, Bennett, Emily, Bahrami, Somayeh, Bonilla, Brian, Kamhawi, Shaden, Valenzuela, Jesus G, Peters, Nathan C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 05.01.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Allergic reactions; Allergies; Animal models in research; Animals; Arthropod vectors; Arthropods; Bacteria; Case reports; Colonies; Control; COVID-19; Critical components; Diptera; Disease transmission; Diseases; Eggs; Flies; Guidelines; Human diseases; Humidity; Infectious diseases; Infestation; Laboratories; Laboratory animals; Laboratory colony; Labour; Larvae; Larval development; Larval stage; Leishmaniasis; Malaria; Management; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolites; Microbiological laboratories; Mite Infestations; Mites; Parasitic diseases; Phlebotomus; Population number; Productivity; Protozoa; Psychodidae; Sand fly; Scanning electron microscopy; United States; Vector Borne Diseases; Vectors; United States; Canada; United States > US; Mites; Sand fly; Leishmaniasis; Laboratory colony; Arthropod vectors
• ISSN: 1756-3305; 1756-3305
• DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06074-8

Vector sand fly colonies are a critical component of studies aimed at improving the understanding of the neglected tropical disease leishmaniasis and alleviating its global impact. However, among laboratory-colonized arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, the labor-intensive nature of sand fly rearing coupled with the low number of colonies worldwide has generally discouraged the widespread use of sand flies in laboratory settings. Among the different factors associated with the low productivity of sand fly colonies, mite infestations are a significant factor. Sand fly colonies are prone to infestation by mites, and the physical interactions between sand flies and mites and metabolites have a negative impact on sand fly larval development. Mites were collected from sand fly larval rearing pots and morphologically identified using taxonomic keys. Upon identification, they were photographed with a scanning electron microscope. Several mite control measures were adopted in two different laboratories, one at the Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-National Institutes of Health (Rockville, MD, USA), and the other at the University of Calgary (Calgary, AB, Canada). The mite species associated with sand fly colonies in the two laboratories were morphologically identified as Tyrophagus sp. and Stratiolaelaps scimitus. While complete eradication of mites in sand fly colonies is considered unrealistic, drastically reducing their population has been associated with higher sand fly productivity. We report a case of detrimental interaction between sand flies and Tyrophagus sp. and S. scimitus in a closed laboratory sand fly colony, discuss their impact on sand fly production and provide guidelines for limiting the mite population size in a closed laboratory colony leading to improved sand fly yields.