Phlebotomus sand fly, darkfield photomicrograph
In the Old World, Phlebotomus sand flies are primarily responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis, an important parasitic disease, while transmission in the New World, is generally via sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia. The protozoan parasite itself is a species of the genus Leishmania. Leishmaniasis normally finds a mammalian reservoir in rodents and other small animals such as canids (Canine leishmaniasis) and hyraxes. The female sand fly carries the Leishmania protozoa from infected animals after feeding, thus transmitting the disease, while the male feeds on plant nectar. Phlebotomus species are also vectors for bartonellosis, verruga peruana, pappataci fever, an arbovirus caused by Sandfly fever viruses such as Naples and Sicilian strains, which are members of the genus Phlebovirus (family Bunyaviridae), which also includes the closely related Toscana virus. In Egypt there are two species of medical importance Phlebotomus papatasii and Phlebotomus langerni. These flies are short lived. Females are blood suckers at night, males feed on plant juices. Adults are poor fliers, they usually hop for short distances.
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Photo credit: © Scenics & Science / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bartonellosis, darkfield, fever, fly, leishmaniasis, pappataci, parasite, peruana, phlebotomus, photomicrograph, sand, verruga
