Leishmaniasis in greater Athens, Greece. Entomological studies

Greater Athens, the largest urban area in Greece, has a population of 3.1 million and is home for most of the human and canine cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) reported in Greece. Seven species of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) were identified in light- and sticky-trap surveys in the area in 1993. Although none of the flies was found in wooded areas or scrub, flies were collected from quarries, corrals, wells, walls, houses and animal shelters. There were small 'island' populations in residential districts and moderate or large populations in the quarries and corrals in the foothills of the mountains bordering the area and in the hills near the city centre. Phlebotomus neglectus, the putative vector of VL in the area, was ubiquitous; it predominated in the quarries and was common in the sampled corrals and residential habitats. The distribution, abundance and seasonal activity of all seven species of sandflies are described and discussed.