DNA Barcoding for the Identification of Sand Fly Species

• Published in: PloS one 2014-01, Vol.9 (1), p.e85496
• Main Authors: Contreras Gutiérrez, María Angélica, Vivero, Rafael J, Vélez, Iván D, Porter, Charles H, Uribe, Sandra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal behavior; Bar codes; Cytochrome oxidase; Disease transmission; DNA
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085496

Sand flies include a group of insects that are of medical importance and that vary in geographic distribution, ecology, and pathogen transmission. Approximately 163 species of sand flies have been reported in Colombia. Surveillance of the presence of sand fly species and the actualization of species distribution are important for predicting risks for and monitoring the expansion of diseases which sand flies can transmit. Currently, the identification of phlebotomine sand flies is based on morphological characters. However, morphological identification requires considerable skills and taxonomic expertise. In addition, significant morphological similarity between some species, especially among females, may cause difficulties during the identification process. DNA-based approaches have become increasingly useful and promising tools for estimating sand fly diversity and for ensuring the rapid and accurate identification of species. A partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene subunit I (COI) is currently being used to differentiate species in different animal taxa, including insects, and it is referred as a barcoding sequence. The present study explored the utility of the DNA barcode approach for the identification of phlebotomine sand flies in Colombia. We sequenced 700 bp of the COI gene from 36 species collected from different geographic localities. The COI barcode sequence divergence within a single species was