Phlebotominae
Encyclopedia
Members of the subfamily Phlebotominae are known outside of the United States
by the name sand fly. This subfamily includes numerous genera of blood-feeding (hematophagous) flies, including the primary vectors of leishmaniasis
, bartonellosis
and pappataci fever
. In the New World
, leishmaniasis is spread by sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia
, which are common inhabitants of cave
s, where they feed on bat
s. In the Old World
, the disease is spread by sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus
.
Female sand flies suck blood from many warm-blooded
animal
s because the blood helps them to make eggs. Only female sand flies bite, and use their mouthparts to create a pool of blood, which is then sucked up. They inject histamine
to prevent blood clotting, similar to the feeding habits of a female mosquito
.
Females lay their eggs in humid soil rich in organic matter. One blood meal can result in the creation of up to 100 eggs.
Sand flies are small (with a body size of about 3mm in length), making them hard to detect. Their bite is sometimes not felt and leaves a small round, reddish bump that starts itching hours or days later. Use of insect repellent is recommended in areas where sand flies are present.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the name sand fly. This subfamily includes numerous genera of blood-feeding (hematophagous) flies, including the primary vectors of leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that belong to the genus Leishmania and is transmitted by the bite of certain species of sand fly...
, bartonellosis
Bartonellosis
Bartonellosis is an infectious disease produced by bacteria of the genus Bartonella. Bartonella species cause diseases such as Carrión´s disease, trench fever, and cat scratch disease, and other recognized diseases, such as bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, chronic bacteremia, endocarditis,...
and pappataci fever
Pappataci fever
Pappataci fever is a vector-borne febrile arboviral infection caused by three serotypes of Phlebovirus. Occurs in subtropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere...
. In the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, leishmaniasis is spread by sand flies of the genus Lutzomyia
Lutzomyia
Lutzomyia is a genus of "sand flies" in the Psychodidae subfamily Phlebotominae and in the order Diptera. In the New World, Lutzomyia sand flies are responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis, an important parasitic disease and Carrion's disease. Leishmaniasis is generally transmitted in...
, which are common inhabitants of cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s, where they feed on bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s. In the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
, the disease is spread by sand flies of the genus Phlebotomus
Phlebotomus
Phlebotomus is a genus of "sand fly" in the Dipteran family Psychodidae. In the past, they have sometimes been considered to belong in a separate family, Phlebotomidae, but this alternative classification has not gained wide acceptance.-Epidemiology:...
.
Female sand flies suck blood from many warm-blooded
Warm-blooded
The term warm-blooded is a colloquial term to describe animal species which have a relatively higher blood temperature, and maintain thermal homeostasis primarily through internal metabolic processes...
animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s because the blood helps them to make eggs. Only female sand flies bite, and use their mouthparts to create a pool of blood, which is then sucked up. They inject histamine
Histamine
Histamine is an organic nitrogen compound involved in local immune responses as well as regulating physiological function in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter. Histamine triggers the inflammatory response. As part of an immune response to foreign pathogens, histamine is produced by...
to prevent blood clotting, similar to the feeding habits of a female mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
.
Females lay their eggs in humid soil rich in organic matter. One blood meal can result in the creation of up to 100 eggs.
Sand flies are small (with a body size of about 3mm in length), making them hard to detect. Their bite is sometimes not felt and leaves a small round, reddish bump that starts itching hours or days later. Use of insect repellent is recommended in areas where sand flies are present.
Distribution
Phlebotomine sand flies occur between latitude 50°N and 40°S but they are absent from New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.External links
- CIPA Computer-aided Identification of Phlebotomine sand flies of America
- Lutzomyia shannoni, a sand fly on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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