BACKGROUND Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL) due to Leishmania major is increasing in many parts of Iran. This disease originally is a disease found in gerbils. Leishmania parasites are transmitted by sandflies that live and breed in gerbil burrows. Nested PCR amplified Leishmania ITS1-5.8S rRNA gene in both main reservoir host "Rhombomys opimus" and in the "Phlebotomus papatasi" main vect...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Phlebotomus argentipes is the vector for visceral leishmaniasis in India. The development of resistance in kala-azar vector to DDT has been reported from various parts of India. The main objective of this study was to generate information on insecticides susceptibility status of P. argentipes to DDT, malathion and deltamethrin in different parts in three states of India....

The biology, veterinary importance and control of certain Nematocera are described and discussed. Culicoides spp. (family Ceratopogonidae) transmit the arboviruses of bluetongue (BT), African horse sickness (AHS), bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) and Akabane. Some other arboviruses have been isolated from these species, while fowl pox has been transmitted experimentally by Culicoides. These insects...

In our previous communication (1), we have presented data indicating that the phagocytic capacity of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) can be determined by measuring the rate of disappearance of various doses of radioisotopically labeled aggregated albumin particles from the circulation. Since our results followed the mathematical model suggested first by Michaelis and Menten in their studie...

The repellent action of neem oil was evaluated against sand flies under laboratory and field conditions. Concentrations of 2% neem oil mixed in coconut or mustard oil provided 100% protection against Phlebotomus argentipes throughout the night under field conditions; against Phlebotomus papatasi it repelled sand flies for about 7 h in the laboratory. Neem oil is an indigenous product and a low-...

Sandfly fever (SF) is one of the emerging arboviral diseases caused by sandfly fever viruses, which are transmitted to humans by the bite of phlebotomine sandflies. The disease is a self-limited febrile illness, and presents as a rapid onset of high fever, severe myalgia and arthralgia, headache, and in some cases photophobia, abdominal discomfort and nausea. An elevation in aminotransferases m...