Effect of untreated bed nets on blood-fed Phlebotomus argentipes in kala-azar endemic foci in Nepal and India.
Observational studies in the Indian subcontinent have shown that untreated nets may be protective against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In this study, we evaluated the effect of untreated nets on the blood feeding rates of Phlebotomus argentipes as well as the human blood index (HBI) in VL endemic villages in India and Nepal. The study had a 'before and after intervention' design in 58 households in six clusters. The use of untreated nets reduced the blood feeding rate by 85% (95% CI 76.5-91.1%) and the HBI by 42.2% (95% CI 11.1-62.5%). These results provide circumstantial evidence that untreated nets may provide some degree of personal protection against sand fly bites.
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. albert.picado@lshtm.ac.uk
Albert
A
Picado
Vijay
V
Kumar
Murari
M
Das
Ian
I
Burniston
Lalita
L
Roy
Rijal
R
Suman
Diwakar
D
Dinesh
Marc
M
Coosemans
Shyam
S
Sundar
Kesari
K
Shreekant
Marleen
M
Boelaert
Clive
C
Davies
Mary
M
Cameron
D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007300:Insect Control / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D010691:Phlebotomus / Q000502:physiology*