Species composition of sandflies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) in the focus of zoonotic cutaneous leischmaniasis in Kashkadarya region, Uzbekistan

A study was carried out of the mosquito fauna of the focus of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in the city of Mubarek, Kashkadarya region of the Republic of Uzbekistan, where dozens of cases of this parasitosis are reported annually. Diptera were caught in 2022 and 2023 using sticky sheets of paper both in the territory of households within the city, where cases of leishmaniasis were observed, and in the desert on colonies of great gerbils located in the immediate vicinity of Mubarek. A total of 7 species of mosquitoes were recorded. As a result, it was established that the species Phlebotomus papatasi, the main carrier of the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (48.8 %), as well as P. sergenti (34.4 %), the main carrier of the causative agent of anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis, dominated within the city, but in the study area there were no cases of this disease was not noted. The remaining five species accounted for less than 17 %. In the burrows of the great gerbil, the most common species were P. caucasicus (31.1 %), P. andrejevi (24.3 %) and P. papatasi (22.4 %). The species P. mongolensis, P. alexandri and Sergentomyia grecovi were much less common (2-9 %). Males predominated in the collections (66.3-75.7 %). Breeding sites for dipterans within the city are mainly livestock buildings and barns.

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