Sandfly

Question 1

what is a sandfly

Answer 1

very general coloquial term - we focus on Phlebotomine sandflies

900 species and only around 10% transmit disease

Question 2

Answer 2

adult phlebotomine sandfly

Question 3

life cycle of phlebotomine sandfly

Answer 3

egg (around 20 days) - 4 larval instars (around 30 days) - pupa (around 13 days) - adult

Question 4

where do sandflies live

Answer 4

mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions and require sources of sugar and food

adapt well to human activities and increasing numbers in urban and semi-urban areas

environmental modification = disease risk

Question 5

sandflies breed in soil

Answer 5

larval stages live in moist soil rich in organic matter

adult sandflies rest in dark humid places and are weak flyers

forested areas, coffee plantations, wall with stone boulders, urban areas, termite hills

Question 6

sugar feeding

Answer 6

sugar essential for sanfly survival - males and females feed from plants, flowers, fruits etc

potential control measure e.g. toxic plants and toxic sugar baits

Question 7

Sandfly courtship

Answer 7

found to start with female touching the male, leading him to begin abdomen bending and wing flapping

following a period of leg rubbing and facing, the male flaps his wings while approaching the female

Question 8

seeking a bloodmeal

Answer 8

lekking behaviour increases their chances of mating

dogs are a Leishmania infantum reservoir and readily exposed to sandfly bites in the americas, middle east, c. asia, china and mediterranean

Lutzomyia longipalpis sanflies can bite chickens

Question 9

Pool feeding

Answer 9

sandflies are pool-feeders whith short mouthparts

painful bite

Question 10

sandfly saliva

Answer 10

Lutzomyia longipalpis maxadilan - powerful vasodilator

research into the alleviation of vasoconstriction in raynauds disease strokes

has a role in the serverity of leishmaniasis

Question 11

sandfly saliva as a biomarker of exposure

serverity influenced by previous bites - sandfly saliva as part of a vaccine to produce lower parasite burden

Question 12

sandfly feeding and resting behaviour control

Answer 12

host seek between dusk and dawn

endophagic control - expected cases in women, children and indoor sleepers - contron ITN with small holes

exophilic - outdoor fogging and environmental management

endophilic - IRS and indoor fogging

exophagic - expected cases in working adults - personal protection

Question 13

control methods pros and cons

Answer 13

manual capture - active search for adult resting sites - pro - inexpensive and effective, live sandflies, indoor and outdoor - con - travel, labour intensive and time consuming

sticky trap - interception trap - pro - unbiased trap, inexpensive and easy to make