Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis remains a serious health problem in Tunisia. It is the most extensive and prevalent form with thousands of cases reported each year since the start of a large epidemic in 1982, with 96% of cases were recorded in central and southern regions of the country. In Tunisia,Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli) (Diptera: Psychodidae) is the main vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major. P. papatasi was collected from peridomestic animal shelters and around the houses in several provinces in eastern Tunisia. Tunisian P. papatasipopulation was used in other reports as one of the countries for investigation from one exemplar, so it does not reflect the real structure of the country. Indeed, it is important to understand the population differentiation of sand fly vectors because it can show where potential vectors can invade from, and how quickly they can be controlled after local measures is applied. In this study, we characterized the Tunisian P. papatasi population by using mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b) of sand flies as gene marker and situate it among the Mediterranean population. Our results indicate a low level of genetic variability among Tunisian populations of P. papatasi and we do not see any “isolation by distance” over a large geographical scale among Tunisian provinces.

Key words: Phlebotomus papatasi, cytochrome b, mtDNA, Tunisia, population differentiation, sandflies.