title: Effects of environmental factors and storage conditions on the performance of Olyset® Plus against sand flies in WHO cone bioassays.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leishmaniasis, visceral and cutaneous, is seen in Turkey and has both public and veterinary importance. So far, four Leishmania species and their vectors have been detected in Turkey. Vector control is essential in endemic areas and several personal protection methods are available including long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). In this study, we aimed to measure the effects of usage and storage conditions on LLINs in a village-scale study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Olyset(®) Plus bed nets were set up in different climatic conditions (rain, exposed to sunlight and humidity) and collected after 6 months. The effectiveness of bed nets were tested by WHO's cone test method using wild-caught sand flies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bed nets, which were placed directly exposed to sunlight (A1, A2) showed lower (17.2%) knock down effect compared to bed nets placed indoors (A3, B1). Twenty-four hour mortality was 100% for the five study groups (A2, A3, B1, C1, C2) whereas group A1 was found to have a lower mortality rate (44.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bed nets need to avoid direct exposure to sunlight. When used and stored in appropriate conditions (cool, well-ventilated place away from sunlight) they can be used as an effective vector control tool in endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Turkey mehmetk1986@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karakuş
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Özge Erişöz
authors.initials: ÖE
authors.lastname: Kasap
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Filiz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Günay
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gizem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oğuz
authors.affiliation: Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Samiye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.affiliation: Ege University, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aslı
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suner
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Alten
authors.affiliation: Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Özbel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D003624:Darkness; D006801:Humans; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D007303:Insect Vectors; D057148:Insecticide-Treated Bednets; D007306:Insecticides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000187:drug effects*; D013472:Sunlight; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides
keywords: Bed net efficacy; Environmental effects; Leishmaniasis; Olyset Plus; Sand flies; Turkey