Some Ecological Aspects of Phlebotomine Sand Flies in an Endemic Focus of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran

Following annual report of new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis from different areas of Kuhpayeh district, Esfahan County, an investigation was carried out on some ecological aspects of Phlebotomine sand flies during 2000-2002. Sand flies were collected biweekly from outdoor and indoor resting places with the aid of 30 sticky traps from the be¬ginning to the end of the active season. Female sand flies from rodent burrows were dissected and examined for the presence of pro-mastigote infection. Blood meals of engorged sand flies were identified by ELISA method. Totally, 4993 sand flies were collected and identified. The following species were found indoors: P. papatasi, P. ser¬genti, P. caucasicus, P. mongo¬len¬sis, P. al¬exandri, P. ansarii, P. major, P. kandelakii, S. sintoni, and the subsequent species were found outdoors: P. pa¬patasi, P ser¬genti, P. caucasicus, P. mongolensis, P. ansarii, P. major, S. sintoni, S. dentata, S. pawlowskyi.‍ The sand flies active season began from May till October in this region. Natural promastigote infections observed in 1.06% of P. papatasi and also in one out of four of P. caucasicus. The human and rodent blood indices in P. papatasi were 61.9% and 20.69%, respectively. It seems that P. papatasi is the probable vector among rodents and also transmit Leishmania major, the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis to man, and P. caucasicus transmit the agent of the disease among rodents.