-214- 



L brazi liensis , whether isolated from man, other mammals, or wild 

 sand flies, produced infections in ]_u. sanguinaria and L_u. gomezi in 

 the hind triangle (Fig. 4-3). This behavior is typical of the 

 peripylarian leishmanias. Members of this group maintain an obligate 

 hindgut development in their sand fly hosts, but also migrate 

 anteriorly as in the suprapylaria (Lainson and Shaw, 1979). The 

 development of a massive infection at the stomodeal valve four days 

 postinfection in Lu. diabol ica indicates a potential for maintaining 

 the complete life cycle of the parasite. This species of Leishmania 

 does not occur naturally in the USA. 



Leishmania donovani infantum (strain untyped). The high 

 infection rate and apparently normal suprapylarian development of L 

 d_. infantum in Lu. diabol ica is remarkable, since this sand fly is not 

 a natural invertebrate host for the parasite. The results of the 

 present studies with this parasite in Lu. diabol ica wi 1 1 clearly be of 

 interest in view of reports by Anderson ^t _al_. (1980) of an endemic 

 focus of canine leishmaniasis in north central Oklahoma. 

 Ultrastructural studies of amastigotes isolated from these infections 

 indicate that the parasite is morphologically similar to L donovani 

 (Kocan et aj_., 1983). In addition, radiorespirometry tests indicated 

 that the Oklahoma isolates are similar to L d. infantum (Kocan et 

 al ., 1983). These findings underscore the need for further study of 

 Lu . diabolica 's competence for vectoring visceral leishmaniasis. 



Concurrent infections . Young and Lewis (1977) reviewed the 

 pathogens of Psychodidae, some of which are rarely present and of 

 little consequence. Others may be found in a high proportion of a 

 sand fly population and could be important factors affecting the 



