Habitat characterization of sandfly vectors of leishmaniasis in khyber pakhtunkhwa, pakistan.

HABITAT CHARACTERIZATION OF SANDFLY VECTORS OF LEISHMANIASIS IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN. Acta Trop. 2019 Aug 15;:105147 Authors: Khan K, Wahid S, Khan NH Abstract Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease, is currently distributed in 98 countries of the world and wide spread throughout Pakistan. Phlebotomus papatasi Scopoli and P. sergenti Parrot are vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) while P. major Yakimoff and P. hindustanicus Theodor are vectors of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan of Pakistan. The present study identifies the complexity of environmental factors affecting the distribution of Leishmania vector sand fly species in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Sand fly habitat was characterized and analysed using geographic information system (GIS) tools, and specific spatial analysis indicated that P. sergenti and P. papatasi were ecological generalists, found in diverse ecological settings, while P. major and P. hindustanicus were less frequent and have restricted distribution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We specifically observed a close association between elevation and sand fly species in the present study. P. sergenti was primarily presented at high elevation while P. papatasi presented their distribution at low altitudinal ranges. P. major and P. hindustanicus were restricted to high altitudes in the northern areas. This GIS based spatial investigation of ...
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Acta Trop Source Type: research