The genus Phlebotomus (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) comprises a group of small winged insect species medical importance. To date, ten are known to be present in Greece; yet their evolutionary history is poorly studied due the lack comprehensive phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies. Herein, we aim clarify relationships amongst local collected from 12 Aegean Islands, Cyprus Turkey; id...

Urbanization and vector domestication are currently proposed as factors that contributed to the recent increase of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL). Is likely also urban transmission? Oran is the main city in the Argentinean hyper-endemic area of ACL, and human cases in urban residences are usually reported. In order to assess the spatial distribution of risk, phlebotomine traps were loca...

A descriptive study is presented of sand-fly fauna in Bolivar State, Venezuela. Identification was made of 2,364 sand-flies belonging to 18 species. The vectors of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in the different geographic regions of Bolivar State are possibly L. anduzei, L. wellcomei and L. squamiventris in the South, and L. flaviscutellata and L. gomezi in the North.

This study was undertaken to assess the extent of community awareness and related practices about kala-azar undertaken by them to control the disease, in an highly endemic focus of Bihar, India. A household-based cross-sectional knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) survey consisting of quantitative components on knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning kala-azar was administered to hea...

The capture of a new species of the subgenus Migonemyia Galati, 1995 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae), Migonemyia vaniae sp. nov. in the Ribeira Valley, state of São Paulo, Brazil, together with the other two species: Mg. migonei (França, 1920) and Mg. rabelloi (Galati & Gomes, 1992) lead us to review this subgenus. The new species was described and illustrated. The genitalia of the two ot...

BACKGROUND Algeria is among the most affected Mediterranean countries by leishmaniasis due to its large geographic extent and climatic diversity. The current study aimed to determine the ecological status (composition and diversity) of phlebotomine sandfly populations in the region of Oum El Bouaghi (Northeast Algeria). METHODS An entomological survey was conducted during the period May-Octob...

Lutzomyia umbratilis is confirmed as the vector of Leishmania braziliensis guyanensis, the cause of "pian bois" in man in French Guiana. Although spending most of the year in the forest canopy, this sandfly is abundant at ground level for about two weeks at the beginning of the long rainy season. The maximum number of infective bites per man per hour (3.9) was reached at the end of November 197...

Since L. herreri was first described in 1979 [l], no further isolates have been identified and some doubts have been expressed as to the classification of this parasite. The 16 original strains of L. herrrri were isolated from sloths (Bradypus griseus and Choloepus hoffmanni) and sandflies (Lutzomyiu trupidoi, Lu. ylephiletor and Lu. shannoni) in Costa Rica. These parasites were classified with...

World Health Day, celebrated on 7 April, marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. This year, vector-borne diseases which are transmitted mainly by bites of vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies are highlighted as a global public health priority. This issue of Eurosurveillance focuses on vector-borne diseases and their impact on public healt...

Phlebotomus argentipes is an established vector of visceral leishmaniasis in India and other countries of the sub-continent1,2. Phlebotomus argentipes is primarily zoophilic as it prefers animal bait seven times more than the human bait in similar situation3. However, the blood meal analysis proves that it is anthropophilic as well as zoophilic in nature4. Female P. argentipes takes blood from ...