Spotters in "Environment and Health: Sandflies " for CFM & MPH students

 Sandflies:

Sandflies are nocturnal pests & their bites are irritating and painful. It lives in holes &  crevices in walls, trees, etc. Important species are P. argentipes, P. papatasii, P. sergenti, and S. punjabensis.

1. Eggs:

Important points:

• Laid in damp, dark places in the vicinity of cattle sheds & poultry.
• Comparatively large, torpedo-shaped with longitudinal wavy lines on the outside.
• Size: 0.3-0.5 mm long and 0.1-0.15 mm wide.
• Color: white when freshly deposited to brown or black.
• Deposited singularly or in clusters.
• Eggs hatch within 7 days.

2. Larva:

Important points:

• These are hairy maggots with a distinct head, thorax & abdomen.
• The last abdominal segment carries 2 pairs of long stout hairs.
• One pair is remarkably long.
• It feeds on decaying organic matter.
• Becomes a pupa in about 2 weeks.

3. Pupa:

Important points:

• It lasts for about a week.
• Newly formed sand fly pupae are white, turning yellow, and finally almost black before adult emergence.

4. Adult:

Important points:

• The average lifespan is about 2 weeks.
• Light or dark brown in color.
• Size: 1.5 to 2.5 mm in length.
• Body & wings densely clothed with hair.
• The body is divided into head, thorax & abdomen.
• Smaller than mosquitoes.
• Wings: up-right & lanceolate in shape.
• Legs: longer compared to the size of the body.
• Hopping: sandflies hop about & do not fly by choice and remain confined to within 50 yards of their breeding places.
• Only females bite.

References:

1. Park, K. (2019). Park's textbook of preventive and social medicine. 25th. Jabalpur, India: M/S Banarsidas Bhanot.
2. Kadri AM. (2019). IAPSM's Textbook of Community Medicine. 1st. New Delhi, India: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.
3. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/flies/Lutzomyia_longipalpis.htm
4. https://www.beiresources.org/Portals/2/VectorResources/Methods%20in%20Sand%20fly%20Research.pdf
5. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/disease-vectors/facts/phlebotomine-sand-flies photo credit
6. http://queenslandcoast.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-life-of-biting-sand-flies.html photo credit