title: Ecological niches and blood sources of sand fly in an endemic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sand fly Phlebotomus chinensis is a principle vector for the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in China with a wide geographic distribution. Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan is a mountain type endemic area of VL in China. Long term effective control efforts in the region have successfully reduced VL transmission. To assess the current status of the sand flies and their ecological aspects in the region, a survey was conducted in the summer of 2014 and 2015.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sand fly specimens were collected by light traps in a village and blood sources were identified by PCR and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a rock cave, 65.2 %-79.8 % of collected sand flies were male. On a rabbit farm, 92.9 %-98.8 % of specimens were female. In pig pens, 61.1 % of specimens were female. Some females had visible blood residues. The feeding rate was 49.4 % from the pig pens, 12.3 % from the cave, and only 1.7 % from the rabbit farm. Pig, rabbit, chicken, dog, and human blood were detected in the fed specimens. Swine blood, present in all tested samples, was a preferred blood source, while chicken and dog blood were present in a third of the samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan Province of China, the considerable sandfly density and the peridomestic feeding behavior all increases the risk of VL transmission, and insecticide spraying in animal sheds could be exploited to reduce sand fly populations in human surroundings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Huiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Kaili
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Center for Disease Control and Prevention of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China.
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Jiuzhaigou Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, 623400, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiuzhaigou Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, 623400, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA.
authors.forename: Jinjin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Center of Disease Control and Prevention, General Equipment Department of PLA, Beijing, 100101, China.
authors.forename: Yubin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Disease Control and Prevention of PLA, Beijing, 100071, China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA. jxu@nmsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jiannong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China. yajun_ma@163.com.
authors.forename: Yajun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D002681:China; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000469:parasitology
keywords: Blood sources; China; Ecological niche; Phlebotomus chinensis; Sand fly