DNA barcoding of sand flies from Chandipura-affected districts of Gujarat, India.

Authors

Surendra Kumar, Vikas Sharma, Diya Roy, Irrusappan Hari, Chandhu Balachandran, Yash Paul Sharma, P R Sreelakshmi, Avinash R Deoshatwar, Snehal Prakash Chavan, Dilip R Patil, Pradeep M Sawant, Sachin Dhaygude, Prajwal Gaikwad, Vaibhav Kesare, Shamal Shinde, Bhagyesh Adhav, R Balasubramanian, Vijay Parashramji Bondre

Published in

Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases. Pages 106027. Sep 16, 2026. Epub Sep 16, 2026.

Abstract

Phlebotomine sand flies are important vectors of various pathogens, including the Chandipura virus (CHPV), a neurotropic rhabdovirus associated with fatal pediatric encephalitis outbreaks in India. Gujarat, a CHPV-endemic region, lacks comprehensive molecular data on sand fly species. Accurate species identification is important for effective vector surveillance and control strategies. 2950 sand flies were collected from 14 districts using aspirators and traps. Morphological identification was performed by using standard taxonomic keys. DNA barcoding of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was performed using universal barcoding primers. Sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis, and genetic divergence calculations were performed through MEGA and BOLD Systems databases. Seven species were identified: Sergentomyia babu, Se. punjabensis, Se. insularis, Se. bailyi, Se. shorttii, Phlebotomus argentipes, and Ph. papatasi. Phylogenetic clustering showed strong bootstrap support (>90%), confirming congruence between morphological and molecular identification. Intraspecific divergence was low (0.5 to 2.0%), while interspecific divergence was comparatively higher (5.4 to 18.9%), indicating a clear "barcode gap" that validated species boundaries. COI DNA barcoding reliably distinguished sand fly species from CHPV-endemic Gujarat. The study highlights the presence of epidemiologically relevant vectors, supports the use of molecular taxonomy in entomological surveillance, and emphasizes the need to expand DNA barcode reference libraries for Indian sand flies.

PMID:
42749243
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 17 Sep 2026.

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