Faunistic study of sandflies in Greece.

A faunistic study of phlebotomine sandflies was carried out on the mainland and on four islands in Greece between 1999 and 2004. Sandflies were collected in 18 areas, and the population structure was observed and recorded. A total of 10 species were identified; their distribution is presented here.

The establishment, maintenance and productivity of a laboratory colony of Phlebotomus similis Perfiliew, 1963 (Diptera, Psychodidae).

Phlebotomus similis is a relatively poorly understood sand fly species. This paper presents the results of the first successful laboratory colonization of P. similis.

Ticks, tick-borne rickettsiae, and Coxiella burnetii in the Greek Island of Cephalonia.

Domestic animals are the hosts of several tick species and the reservoirs of some tick-borne pathogens; hence, they play an important role in the circulation of these arthropods and their pathogens in nature. They may act as vectors, but, also, as reservoirs of spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, which are the causative agents of SFG rickettsioses. Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii (C.

Colonization of Phlebotomus neglectus (Diptera: Psychodidae), the major vector of visceral leishmaniasis in Greece.

Colonization of Phlebotomus neglectus Tonnoir, the major vector of visceral leishmaniasis, in Greece is reported for the first time. Starting with wild-caught specimens, a small closed colony was established that was maintained for 17 mo or 10 generations. Gonotrophic discordance, stenogamic mating behavior, low fecundity, and dormancy because of low temperature were the most important findings that characterized the colony.

Typing of sandflies from Greece and Cyprus by DNA polymorphism of 18S rRNA gene.

A simple and reliable technique was developed to distinguish Phlebotomine sandflies by restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR-amplified (PCR-RFLP) 18S rDNAs. Seven morphologically identified sandflies species from several localities of Greece and Cyprus were studied, and specific patterns were developed by double digesting amplified 18S rDNAs with HpaII and RsaI. Three additional species of the subgenus Larroussius were distinguished by a second double digestion with AccI and BanI.

Water wells as a habitat of sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) vectors of visceral leishmaniasis in Greece.

Overall, 37 of 79 water wells in 3 diverse geographic areas of Greece were found to harbor sand flies. The predominant species were Phlebotomus tobbi Adler, Theodor & Lourie and P. neglectus Tonnoir, species implicated in the transmission of Leishmania infantum Nicolle.

Leishmaniasis in greater Athens, Greece. Entomological studies.

Greater Athens, the largest urban area in Greece, has a population of 3.1 million and is home for most of the human and canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) reported in Greece. Seven species of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) were identified in light- and sticky-trap surveys in the area in 1993.

Transmission cycle of murine typhus in Greece.

A field study, based on a follow up of the 49 human cases of the disease that occurred on the island of Evia in 1985, has established the transmission cycle of murine typhus in Greece for the first time. In 1993, two types of traps were used to catch 53 rats, all of them Rattus norvegicus, in the localities where the cases had occurred. Some 300 fleas, all of them probably Xenopsylla cheopis, and a few ticks and mites were collected from the rats.

Comparative susceptibility of mosquito species and strains to oral and parenteral infection with dengue and Japanese encephalitis viruses.

Thirty-four strains of Asian and Pacific mosquitoes belonging to 22 species of 7 genera were compared for oral and/or parenteral susceptibility to infection with 1 or more strains of each of the 4 dengue serotypes. Surprisingly, several species of common man-biting Aedes were much more susceptible to oral infection with each of the 4 dengue serotypes than was Aedes aegypti. These species included Aedes albopictus and members of the scutellaris group of the subgenus Stegomyia found on South Pacific islands.

Evaluation of personal protection methods against phlebotomine sand flies including vectors of leishmaniasis in Panama.

Three personal protection methods were evaluated against phlebotomine sand flies in Panama. Skin applications of five selected repellents including deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) provided a mean coefficient of protection (CP) of 99.2% against the attack of at least three sand fly species.

Palm trees and Chagas' disease in Panama.

An ecological survey of triatomines in the sylvan ecosystem of the Canal Zone and selected sites in Panama disclosed for the first time a close association of Rhodnius pullescens and Triatoma dimidiata, the two most important vector species of Chagas' disease in Panama, with a single species of a widely distributed palm tree, Scheelea zonensis. This association may explain why Chagas' disease is prevalent in certain rural communities in Central Panama and rare in others. An immense focus of zoonotic Trypanosoma cruzi infection exists in the forests of the Canal Zone with presence of large populations of triatomines, associated with scheelea zonensis and other yet undescribed microhabitats, and high (50--60%) trypanosome infections in all of the major triatomine species.

Antigenic relationships among phlebotomus fever group arboviruses and their implication for the epidemiology of sandfly fever.

The antigenic relationships of 21 known or presumed Phlebotomus fever group serotypes and of 2 ungrouped, solvent sensitive, sandfly-associated arboviruses (Pacui and Charleville) were studied by complement fixation, plaque neutralization, and hemagglutination-inhibition methods. Results of complement fixation and neutralization tests were specific, allowing clear separation of the various serotypes, while those of the hemagglutination-inhibition test showed broader crossing and lack of specificity. Pacui virus was shown to be a member of the Phlebotomus fever serogroup.