first report on natural promastigote infection of phlebotomus caucasicus in a new focus of visceral leishmaniasis in north west of iran

an investigation was carried out in ahar district, (a new focus of visceral leishmaniasis), eastern azerbaijan, north-west of iran in order to determine the vector(s) of the disease, during the summer of 2003 sand-flies were collected using sticky papers, cdc light traps and aspirators. all of the collected sand-flies were dissected in a drop of normal saline for surveying of promastigotes. head and two last abdomen segments of-sandflies were mounted in a drop of puri’s medium for species identification. totally 215 sandflies were collected including: phlebotomus kandelakii (57.2%), p.perfiliewi (18.1%), p.caucasicus (11.2%), p. sergenti (7.9%), p. papatasi (3.3%) and p.(adlerius) sp.(2.3%). only 1 of 24 p. caucasicus species (4.2%) was found naturally infected with parasite. this is the first infection report of p. caucasicus in this region. some behavioral aspects of the mentioned sandfly have been discussed in details.