Risk Assessment of the Role of the Ecotones in the Transmission of Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Central Tunisia

Walid Barhoumi, Ifhem Chelbi, Wasfi Fares, Sami Zhioua, Mohamed Abbas, Mohamed Derbali, Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao and Elyes Zhioua
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Walid Barhoumi: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Ifhem Chelbi: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Wasfi Fares: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Sami Zhioua: Laboratory of Bio-Informatics, Mathematic, Biostatistics, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Mohamed Abbas: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Mohamed Derbali: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia
Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao: Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Elyes Zhioua: Laboratory of Vector Ecology, Pasteur Institute of Tunis, Tunis 1002, Tunisia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), endemic in Central and Southern Tunisia, is caused by Leishmania major (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), which is transmitted by the sand fly Phlebotomus papatasi . In Tunisia, the fat sand rat Psammomys obesus and the desert jird Meriones shawi are the principal reservoir hosts of L. major . The presence of the P. papatasi vector of the L. major etiologic agent of ZCL was assessed in the vicinity of villages in endemic areas of Central Tunisia. The study was performed from September through October 2019, a period corresponding to the main peak of activity of P. papatasi . Sand flies were collected from rodent burrows located at the ecotone level, which is the transition zone between the natural environment and human settlement. Sand flies were identified to species level and tested for the presence of L. major by PCR. Our entomological survey showed that P. papatasi is the most abundant sand fly species associated with rodent burrows, and this abundance is even higher in ecotones primarily occupied by P. obesus in comparison to ecotones occupied by M. shawi . Infections with Leishmania major were detected only in P. papatasi , with an overall minimum infection rate (MIR) of 2.64%. No significant difference was observed between the MIRs in ecotones of P. obesus and of M. shawi . Incidence of ZCL in the studied areas ranged from 200 to 700 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with a mean incidence of 385.41 per 100,000. Higher ZCL incidence was identified in ecotones of M. shawi compared to ecotones of P. obesus . ZCL cases are positively correlated with the MIRs. Considering the short flight range of P. papatasi , increases in its densities associated with burrows of P. obesus or M. shawi at the ecotone level expand the overlap of infected vectors with communities and subsequently increase ZCL incidence. Therefore, control measures should target P. papatasi populations at the ecotones.

Keywords: sand flies; rodents; ecotones; transmission dynamics; zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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