Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae) and Characterization of its Habitats Using Satellite Images in Fez City, North Central Morocco

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a serious public and veterinary health concern. Species of the subgenus Larroussius are the suspected and proven vectors of the leishmaniasis visceral form. This study was aimed at investigating the spatiotemporal dynamics of Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae) and characterizing its habitats using satellite images. The entomological sampling was based on a preliminary stratification of the study area, in which the sandflies were collected at 12 selected stations in Fez City using sticky paper traps. The environmental factors studied for each station were land surface temperature (LST), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and soil moisture index (SMI). Correlations between the number of species of sandflies and each of the environmental factors were evaluated using Pearson's correlation. Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05 (95% confidence level). Two species of the subgenus Larroussius, which are vectors of visceral leishmaniasis, Ph. perniciosus (96.54%) and Ph. longicuspis (3.46%), were found in the collected 231 specimens. Statistical analysis of the environmental factors also demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the number of Ph. perniciosus and LST in all environments. However, the correlation between the isolated species and NDVI was not strong and only significant in the urban area (r = 0.79, p = 0.0018), and no significant correlation was found with the SMI. The findings of this study could help health authorities develop appropriate future vector control strategies.