Sand Fly and Emerging Disease:Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) is a dipteran which goes through four stages in its life cycle; egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Sand fl ies are the only proven vector of the Leishmania parasite. Leishmaniasis is caused by Leishmania spp., a parasitic protozoan of the Trypanosomatidae family and poses an in creasingly important threat in Thailand. Recently, Cutaneous leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis have been found in several parts of Thailand. It is the blood-sucking female of the genus Phlebotomus spp. in Africa and Central Asia and Lutzomyia spp. in Central and South America. Phlebotomus argentipes is the principle vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian sub-continent. This review describes the sand fl y’s classifi cation, distribution, life cycle, survey of sand fly in Thailand, identifi cation, medical importance, situation of leishmaniasis in Thailand and diagnostis of leishmaniasis.

Key words: Sand fly, Leishmaniasis