EXPERIMENTAL EFFECT OF FEEDING ON RICINUS COMMUNIS AND BOUGAINVILLEA GLABRA ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAND FLY PHLEBOTOMUS PAPATASI (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) FROM EGYPT

KALDAS, RANIA M.; EL SHAFEY, AZZA S.; SHEHATA, MAGDI G.; SAMY, ABDALLAH M.; VILLINSKI, JEFFREY T.

doi:10.21608/jesp.2014.90689

EXPERIMENTAL EFFECT OF FEEDING ON RICINUS COMMUNIS AND BOUGAINVILLEA GLABRA ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAND FLY PHLEBOTOMUS PAPATASI (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) FROM EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Vector Biology Research Program, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3), Cairo, Egypt.

² Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

³ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.

⁴ Department of Entomology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.+

⁵ Biodiversity Institute, and the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.

10.21608/jesp.2014.90689

Abstract

Plants are promising sources of agents useful for the control of vectors of human diseases including leishmaniasis. The effect of Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae) and Bougainvillea glabra (Nyctaginaceae), on transmission of leishmaniasis was investigated using them as diets for Phlebotomus papatasi to monitor their effect on life-history traits. P. papatasi were allowed to feed separately on both plants then offered a blood-meal. Fed-females were observed daily for egg-laying and subsequent developmental stages. P. papatasi was able to feed on B. glabra (29.41% females and 46.30% males) and R. communis (5.80% females and 10.43% males). 34.28% of females died within 24-48 hours post-feeding on R. communis, whereas, it was 16.5% in females fed on B. glabra. Overall fecundity of surviving females was reduced compared to controls, reared on standard laboratory diet; however there was no effect on the sex ratio of progeny. Female
P. papatasi in the control group had significantly longer life span compared to plant-fed group. Feeding on these plants not only decreased sand fly survival rates but incurred negative effects on fecundity. Findings indicate that planting high densities of R. communis and B. glabra in sand flies-endemic areas will reduce population sizes and reduce the risk of Leishmania major infections.

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