{
  "abstract": "Animal reservoirs remain unknown in emerging and most endemic leishmaniasis foci hindering control efforts. Here, we developed a field-applicable PERL (Phlebotomines Establish Reservoirs of Leishmania) toolkit using individual blood fed sand flies (IBF) to identify leishmaniasis reservoirs. Using IBF, we optimized DNA and RNA co-extraction and parasite detection of [≥]1 parasite/s by kDNA qPCR and ssu rRNA RT-qPCR. We then screened IBF for expression of two parasite genes, sherp and HPB, identified by RNAseq as having low-to-absent expression in IBF given a first Leishmania donovani-infected blood meal (IBF-iBM1) and high expression in specimens provided subsequent uninfected blood meals (IBF-BMS+). Linear discriminant analysis of target gene expression classified iBM1 parasites with a predictive accuracy of ~87% and ~82% in membrane- or naturally-fed on hamsters sand flies, respectively. By determining the blood source in specimens determined as IBF-iBM1, the PERL toolkit provides an innovative and practical approach to identification of leishmaniasis reservoirs.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Vector Molecular Biology Section, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Healt"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "E. Iniguez"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Huffcutt"
    },
    {
      "name": "T. D. Serafim"
    },
    {
      "name": "P. Cecilio"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Doh"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. Pugh"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Doehl"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Meneses"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. Lambert"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. G. Valenzuela"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "S. Kamhawi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/43p34em8gary6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.06.27.734966",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734966v2.full",
  "id": "43p34em8gary6",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734966v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "licence_label": "CC0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "molecular biology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2739|Research on Leishmaniasis Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7166528987",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734966v2.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-06-27",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/43p34em8gary6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:33Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.06.27.734966",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.27.734966v2"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "biorxiv:molecular biology",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The PERL toolkit: Using sand flies to identify leishmaniasis reservoirs",
  "title_text": "The PERL toolkit: Using sand flies to identify leishmaniasis reservoirs",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/43p34em8gary6",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}