The susceptibility of the Egyptian Phlebotomus papatasi to five insecticides

Phlebotomus papatasi is the main vector of zoonotic cutaneous Leishmaniasis caused by L. major in nearly all the East Mediterranean Region. Generally speaking, control of any arthropod-borne disease should be directed against both the parasite and the vector. The present study was undertaken to establish a base line susceptibility levels of the Egyptian P. papatasi to five insecticides. These insecticides were: B H C and D D T (chlorinated hydrocarbon), permethrin (synthetic pyrethroides), malathion (Organophosphorus) and propoxur (carbamate). The results obtained revealed that the laboratory bred P. papatasi were more susceptible to the five insecticides than the wild caught ones. The insecticidal efficiency of the five insecticides based on LC50 was in the following descending order: propoxur, permethrin, BHC, DDT and malathion for laboratory bred flies and propoxur, permethrin, BHC, malathion then DDT for wild caught flies. The least LC50 was when using propoxur for both the wild caught flies (0.0014%) and laboratory bred ones (0.00043%). The least LT50 was when using propoxur for both the wild caught flies (4.8 seconds) and the laboratory bred flies (2.2 seconds).