Northern Italy’s sand flies carry a recurring Wolbachia lineage that databases do not yet match
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Researchers screened 1,937 sand flies in 124 pools collected from 24 sites during 2023–2025. Overall Wolbachia prevalence was estimated at 38.7%, with strong year-to-year variation. Eleven complete MLST profiles, all from Phlebotomus perniciosus, belonged to Supergroup B and shared an identical profile that had no exact match in public databases.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
Natural symbiont surveillance can reveal biological structure that standard vector datasets miss. The result is a foundation for asking whether this lineage changes sand-fly reproduction or pathogen transmission, not evidence that it already provides a control tool.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Prevalence was estimated from pooled samples and varied by year. The study characterized infection and phylogeny; it did not test effects on vector competence, pathogen transmission, survival or the feasibility of Wolbachia-based control.
SOURCE
Parasites & Vectors — primary study
View original evidence ↗
Screening 1,937 sand flies found substantial natural Wolbachia occurrence, while 11 complete profiles from Phlebotomus perniciosus were identical and lacked an exact public-database match.
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