Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T14:03:41.872Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A study on phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Phlebotomidae) in Dickwella, southern Sri Lanka, an endemic focus for cutaneous leishmaniasis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2012

W.T.S. Dammini Premachandra ,
D.P.C. Senarath ,
M.P.K.S.K. de Silva  and
B.S. Lalanthika Peiris
W.T.S. Dammini Premachandra*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
D.P.C. Senarath
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
M.P.K.S.K. de Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
B.S. Lalanthika Peiris
Affiliation:
Anti-Malaria Campaign, Hambanthota, Sri Lanka
*
*E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has become an important health problem in Sri Lanka. Dickwella Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) located in southern Sri Lanka has been identified as a highly endemic focus for CL. However, to date, the potential sandfly vectors of the Leishmania parasite causing CL have not been elucidated in this focus. This study aimed to determine the species composition and population dynamics of sandflies prevalent at three sampling stations representing different ecological conditions in two high-risk areas in Dickwella DSD, over a period of 27 consecutive weeks. Resting sandflies (i.e. indoor collection) were collected from the lavatories of human households using Castro aspirators at weekly intervals. In addition, cattle-baited traps were deployed at bi-weekly intervals to capture foraging sandflies (outdoor collection). Sergentomyia zeylanica Annandale was found to be the only sandfly species and hence was considered as the potential vector of the Leishmania parasite that causes CL. As a whole, 84 and 96% of the sampling occasions were positive for resting and foraging sandflies, respectively. Seventy-six per cent of the lavatories sampled contained sandflies regardless of the sampling station. Altogether, 34,481 sandflies were captured from lavatories, whereas 691 were collected in cattle-baited traps. The ecological habitat, which comprised dense vegetation and a stagnant water body, seemed to be highly productive for this sandfly species. However, dryness and heavy rains negatively affected its population density. The sex ratio of the sandflies was male-biased at 1:2 (females:males). The findings of this study suggested that the management strategies of S. zeylanica could be targeted on lavatories especially after moderate rains.

Keywords

densityDickwellalavatoriesprevalenceSergentomyia zeylanica
Type
Research Paper
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 32 - 38
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, B. (2000) Sampling methods for phlebotomine sandflies. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 14, 109–122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Athukorale, D. N., Seneviratne, J. K., Ihalamulla, R. L. and Premaratne, U. N. (1992) Locally acquired leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 95, 432–433.Google ScholarPubMed
Chaniotis, B. N. (1967) The biology of California Phlebotomus under laboratory conditions. Journal of Medical Entomology 4, 221–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chaniotis, B. N. and Correa, M. A. (1974) Comparative flying and biting activity of Panamanian phlebotomine sandflies in mature forest and adjacent open space. Journal of Medical Entomology 8, 369–375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chaniotis, B. N., James, M. N., Correa, M. A., Tesh, R. B. and Johnson, K. M. (1971) Daily and seasonal man-biting activity of Phlebotomus sandflies in Panama. Journal of Medical Entomology 8, 415–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chelbi, I., Kaabi, B., Béjaoui, M., Derbali, M. and Zhioua, E. (2009) Spatial correlation between Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli (Diptera: Psychodidae) and incidence of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis. Journal of Medical Entomology 46, 400–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choi, C. M. and Lerner, E. A. (2001) Leishmaniasis as an emerging infection. Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings 6, 175–182.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Desjeux, P. (1996) Leishmaniasis: public health aspects and control. Clinical Dermatology 14, 417–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guernaoui, S. and Boumezzough, A. (2009) Habitat preferences of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in southwestern Morocco. Journal of Medical Entomology 46, 1187–1194.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guernaoui, S., Boumezzough, A., Pesson, B. and Pichon, G. (2005) Entomological investigations in Chichaoua: an emerging epidemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Morocco. Journal of Medical Entomology 42, 697–701.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, P. T. and Hertig, M. (1961) The rearing of Phlebotomus sandflies. II. Development and behavior of Panamanian sandflies in laboratory culture. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 54, 764–776.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalra, N. L. and Bang, Y. H. (1988) Manual on Entomology in Visceral Leishmaniasis. World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi.Google Scholar
Karunaweera, N. D., Pratlong, F., Siriwardena, H. V., Ihalamulla, R. L. and Dedet, J. P. (2003) Sri Lankan cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania donovani zymodeme MON-37. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 97, 380–381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karunaweera, N., Abeysinghe, R., Porter, C. and Dotson, E. M. (2009) Study on sandfly population in a cutaneous leishmaniasis focus in Sri Lanka. 4th World Congress on Leishmaniasis, Lucknow, India. Abstract no. 384.Google Scholar
Lane, R. P., Pile, M. M. and Amerasinghe, F. P. (1990) Anthropophagy and aggregation behaviour of the sandfly Phlebotomus argentipes in Sri Lanka. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 4, 79–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, D. J. (1967) The phlebotomine sand flies of west Pakistan (Diptera: Psychodidae). Bulletin of British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 19, 1–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, D. J. and Killick-Kendrick, R. (1973) Some phlebotomid sand flies and other Diptera of Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 67, 4–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morrison, A. C. (1993) Dispersal of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Colombia. Journal of Medical Entomology 30, 427–435.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naotunne, T. D., Rajakulendran, S., Abewickreme, W., Kulasiri, C. D., Perera, J., Premaratne, U. N., Attygalle, D. and Mendis, K. N. (1990) Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka: an imported disease linked to the Middle East and African employment boom. Tropical and Geographical Medicine 42, 72–74.Google Scholar
Ozbel, Y., Sanjoba, C., Alten, B., Asada, M., Depaquit, J., Matsumoto, Y., Demir, S., Siyambalagoda, R. R. M. L. R., Rajapakse, R. P. V. J. and Matsumoto, Y. (2011) Distribution and ecological aspects of sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) species in Sri Lanka. Journal of Vector Ecology 36 (suppl. s1), S77–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perfiliew, P. P. (1968) Fauna of the USSR Diptera: Phlebotomidae (sandflies). Fauna of the USSR, vol. 3, no. 2. Israel Program for Scientific Translations, Jerusalem, Israel.Google Scholar
Pessoa, S. B. and Barretto, M. P. (1948) Leishmamiose Tegumentar Americana. Imprensa Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.Google Scholar
Quate, W. L. (1962) Psychodidae (Diptera) at the zoological survey of India. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 18, 155–188.Google Scholar
Rajapaksa, U. S., Ihalamulla, R. L., Udagedera, C. and Karunaweera, N. D. (2007) Cutaneous leishmaniasis in southern Sri Lanka. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 101, 799–803.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAS Institute (1999) SAS/STAT User's Guide. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Seneviratne, J. K. K., Siriwardena, S., Ratnatunga, N. and Wijesundera, M. de S. (1995) Locally acquired cutaneous leishmaniasis from central Sri Lanka: a case report. Kandy Medical Journal 4, 54–56.Google Scholar
Sherlock, I. A. and Sherlock, V. A. (1959) Criação e biologia em laboratório do Phlebotomus longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 19, 229–250.Google Scholar
Singh, R., Lal, S. and Saxena, K. V. (2008) Breeding ecology of visceral leishmaniasis vector sand fly in Bihar state of India. Acta Tropica 107, 117–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siriwardena, H. V. Y. D., Udagedara, C. U. and Karunaweera, N. D. (2003) Clinical features, risk factors and efficacy of cryotherapy in cutaneous leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Medical Journal 48, 10–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Theodor, O. (1938) On sandflies (Phlebotomus) from Ceylon, Siam and Malaya. Indian Journal of Medical Research 26, 261–269.Google Scholar
Toprak, S. and Özer, N. (2007) Distribution of sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) species and efficiency of capturing methods in Sanliurfa Province, Turkey. Journal of Medical Entomology 44, 23–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar