Journal of Medical Entomology · 2007 · 26 citations · 10 references
Veterinary MedicineBiologyZoologyParasite EcologyParasitic Skin DiseaseParasitologyParasite DistributionParasitic ZoonosesSand Fly BiologySand Fly-borne DiseasesSandfly-borne DiseasesZoonotic Parasitic DiseasesLeishmaniasis PathogenesisLeishmaniasis Vector BiologySand Fly ParasitologySand Fly-borne ZoonosesSand Fly-parasite InteractionsSeasonal PrevalenceSeasonal Variation In PrevalenceSticky Traps
The population density of Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli (Diptera: Psychodidae), vector of Leishmania major Yakimoff & Schokhor (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), the etiologic agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), was assessed May–November 2005 in central Tunisia by using sticky traps. The densities of P. papatasi were found to peak in early spring and again in the autumn. The lowest densities were observed in August. Prevalence of ZCL in the governorate of Sidi Bouzid peaks in December, 3 to 3.5 mo after the fall sand fly population peak, suggesting a close temporal association with the abundance of P. papatasi.
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