PHLEBOTOMUS (LARROUSSIUS) KESHISHIANI HCHURENKOVA 1936, ANOTHER VECTOR OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IN IRAN

Abstract

In a sand-fly survey, conducted for two years (1992-93) in GhirKarzjn, Fars province a total of 1020 female Phlebotomus keshishiani were dissected, of which 12 females were found to have promastigotes. Promastigotes of six Pb. keshishiani were inoculated to six hamsters and one hamster became infected, Amastigotes were observed in the spleen, but the culture of parasite was not possible due to death of the hamster. Of 141 blood meals tested, 28.5% and 57.7% of Ph. keshishiani were fed on human and dog respectively. This is the first report in the world about the role of Pb. keshishiani as a probable vector of thinfantile type of visceral leishmanjasis.