Rodent baits containing a systemic insecticide are a potential tool to control sand fly vectors that feed on rodent reservoir hosts, interrupting the cycle of transmission of Leishmania major. Baits incorporating systemic bio-indicators have also been developed for use as control-efficacy diagnostic tools to demonstrate that these insecticide treatments are reaching bloodfeeding sand flies in a population. An objective of our studies was to use baits containing bio-indicators to determine the level of blood feeding by sand flies on targeted rodents and to demonstrate the effect of rodent baits containing ivermectin on sand fly populations. A study was conducted in Kenya and Morocco which have different sand fly vectors and rodent reservoirs of L. major. In both locations, female sand flies collected at sites treated with rodent baits containing bio-indicators were marked, while no marked female sand flies were collected at sites treated with baits containing the bio-indicators plus ivermectin. The results of this study constitute proof of concept for the targeted control of an epidemiologically-significant portion of the population of the sand fly vector of L. major (sand flies that take bloodmeals from rodent reservoirs of L. major), and demonstrate the potential for the interruption of the transmission of L. major using rodent baits containing a systemic insecticide.

Field studies of rodent baits for sand fly control

244th National Meeting (2012)

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