An association between phlebotomine sandflies and aphids in the Peruvian Andes

As the composition of natural sugars in the diet of adult sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) may affect the development of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in sandfly guts, and so play an important role in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis, there is increasing interest in the sources of sugars for wild sandflies. Advanced chromatography techniques have provided indirect evidence that wild sandflies feed on honeydew, a substance released by aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) when feeding. Our objective was to determine whether sandfly density can be influenced directly by the local density of aphids. Aphid density was determined by counting absolute numbers of aphids on alfalfa stems in Purisima Valley, Peru, where sandflies transmit Leishmania peruviana causing Andean cutaneous leishmaniasis (uta). Sandfly relative abundance was measured using sticky trap sampling repeatedly in alfalfa fields. Lutzomyia verrucarum accounted for 92% of the total sandflies collected. As there was a female bias in sandflies collected close to houses, only the numbers of male sandflies were used in analysis. Most of the adult aphids found feeding on alfalfa were either Therioaphis trifolii forma maculata (97%) or Acyrthosiphon pisum (3%). By regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between the density of Lu.verrucarum males and the density of adults of both aphid species. This is the first ecological study to support the hypothesis that aphid honeydew may be a source of sugar for sandflies.