In nature the prevalence of Leishmania infection in whole sand fly populations can be very low (<0.1%), even in areas of endemicity and high transmission. It has long since been assumed that the protozoan parasite Leishmania can manipulate the feeding behavior of its sand fly vector, thus enhancing transmission efficiency, but neither the way in which it does so nor the mechanisms behind such m...

Numerous experimental vaccines have been developed to protect against the cutaneous and visceral forms of leishmaniasis caused by infection with the obligate intracellular protozoan Leishmania, but a human vaccine still does not exist. Remarkably, the efficacy of anti-Leishmania vaccines has never been fully evaluated under experimental conditions following natural vector transmission by infect...

Numerous experimental Leishmania vaccines have been developed to prevent the visceral and cutaneous forms of Leishmaniasis, which occur after exposure to the bite of an infected sand fly, yet only one is under evaluation in humans. KSAC and L110f, recombinant Leishmania polyproteins delivered in a stable emulsion (SE) with the TLR4 agonists monophosphoryl lipid A or glucopyranosyl lipid A (GLA)...

A new species of sand fly, Pintomyia (Pifanomyia) falcaorum is described from an amber originated from the northern mountain range of Dominican Republic. The male sand fly specimen is well preserved and most features used in Phlebotominae taxonomy are seen with remarkable clarity.

A 46-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 10-day history of pain and swelling in her right arm. She had recently returned to the United Kingdom from the Ivory Coast. Examination revealed distinct areas of ulceration with surrounding erythema distal to her right elbow. Cellulitis due to insect bites was diagnosed, and she was treated with antibiotic agents. The following d...

Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) has been produced in the laboratory for> 160 generations on the larvae of oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), the propagation hosts raised routinely on a semi-synthetic wheat diet formulation. Choice tests using modified stinging units were conducted in the laboratory to investigate whether insectary rearing had altered the host seeking and o...

Leishmaniasis has long been known as a significant public health challenge in many parts of Iran. Phlebotomus papatasi and P. sergenti are the vectors of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Anthroponotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis respectively, and 5 species of sand flies including P. kandelakii, P. neglectus, P. perfiliewi, P. keshishiani and P. alexandri are considered as probable vectors of Zo...

Most of the Tylenchulus semipenetrans larvae applied on the surface of four soils in pots 14.5-cm deep moved no further downward than 6.5 crn, and remained in the upper half of the pot. The percentage of second-stage larvae that developed into adult females on 'Homosassa' sweet orange in the soils were: sandy loam, 6.8% in the same soil with inoculation holes, 8.6%; loamy sand, 5.4%; coarse san...

BACKGROUND Phlebotomine sand flies are the vectors of the leishmaniases, parasitic diseases caused by Leishmania spp. Little is known about the prevalence and diversity of sand fly microflora colonizing the midgut or the cuticle. Particularly, there is little information on the fungal diversity. This information is important for development of vector control strategies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL ...