Efficiency of Two Capture Methods Providing Live Sand Flies and Assessment the Susceptibility Status of Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Foci of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Lorestan Province, Western Iran

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to evaluate the efficiency of two capture methods for providing live sandflies used for determining the susceptibility level of Phlebotomus papatasi, the main vector of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Lorestan Province, west of Iran. METHODS: The sand flies were collected from indoor and outdoor by hand-catch and baited traps during the peak of seasonal activity. The susceptibility level of sand flies was assessed using insecticide-impregnated papers against DDT 4%, bendiocarb 0.1%, permethrin 0.75%, deltamethrin 0.05%, and cyfluthrin 0.15%. RESULTS: A total of 2486 live sandflies were caught from both indoor and outdoor places. Totally 849 sand flies were caught from outdoors with a sex ratio(SR) 0.1 versus 1637 sand flies collected from indoor using the hand-catch method with SR= 0.6. The dominant species of sand flies was Ph. papatasi in the study area. Mortality rates of outdoor-collected sand flies were exposed to DDT 4%, deltamethrin 0.05%, permethrin 0.75%, and bendiocarb 0.1%, and mortality rate ranged from 92.0–97.9% and for indoor-collected sand flies were 87.7–96.8%. Both outdoor and indoor collected sand flies were susceptible to cyfluthrin 0.15% that caused 100% mortality. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, the most appropriate method for collecting the live female Ph. papatasi is the baited traps due to providing enough females is necessary for conducting the susceptibility tests. The finding indicated that Ph. papatasi was resistant to DDT, under ’verification required’ status to deltamethrin, permethrin, bendiocarb, and susceptible to cyfluthrin.