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Malaria is considered as a major public health problem in southern areas of Iran. The goal of this study was to predict best ecological niches of three main malaria vectors of Iran: Anopheles stephensi , Anopheles culicifacies s.l. and Anopheles fluviatilis s.l. A databank was created which included all published data about Anopheles species of Iran from 1961 to 2015. The suitable environmental niches for the three above mentioned Anopheles species were predicted using maximum entropy model (MaxEnt). AUC (area under Roc curve) values were 0.943, 0.974 and 0.956 for An. stephensi , An. culicifacies s.l. and An. fluviatilis s.l respectively, which are considered as high potential power of model in the prediction of species niches. The biggest bioclimatic contributor for An. stephensi and An. fluviatilis s.l. was bio 15 (precipitation seasonality), 25.5% and 36.1% respectively, followed by bio 1 (annual mean temperature), 20.8% for An. stephensi and bio 4 (temperature seasonality) with 49.4% contribution for An. culicifacies s.l. This is the first step in the mapping of the country’s malaria vectors. Hence, future weather situation can change the dispersal maps of Anopheles . Iran is under elimination phase of malaria, so that such spatio-temporal studies are essential and could provide guideline for decision makers for IVM strategies in problematic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The first digital database on the phlebotomine sand flies of Iran was established. [•] It provides information on geographical distribution of vectors of leishmaniases. [•] Parasitic infection in vectors of 3 forms of leishmaniasis is mapped. [•] Modeling of transmission potential will be applicable using the database. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL), caused by Leishmania major, is a common zoonotic vector-borne disease in Iran. Close contact with infected reservoir hosts increases the probability of transmission of Leishmania parasite infections to susceptible humans. Four gerbil species (Rodentia: Gerbillidae) serve as the main reservoir hosts for ZCL in different endemic foci of Iran. These species include Rhombomys opimus , Meriones libycus, Meriones hurrianae and Tatera indica; while notable infection has been reported in Nesokia indica as well. The purpose of this study is to model the distribution of these reservoirs to identify the risk areas of ZCL. A data bank was developed including all published data during the period of 1970–2015. Maximum entropy model was used to find the most appropriate ecological niches for each species. The areas under curve obtained were 0.961, 0.927, 0.922, 0.997 and 0.899, instead of 1, for training test in R. opimus , M. libycus , T. indica , M. hurrianae and N. indica, respectively. The environmental variable with the highest gain when used in isolation was slope for R. opimus and N. indica , annual mean temperature for M. libycus, and seasonal precipitation for T. indica and M. hurrianae . Summation of presence probabilities for three main species, i.e., R. opimus , M. libycus and T. indica revealed favorable ecological niches in wide areas of 16 provinces. This is the first study to predict the distribution of ZCL reservoir hosts in Iran. Climatology and topography variables had high contributions toward the prediction of potential distribution of the main reservoir species; therefore, as climate changes, the models should be updated periodically with novel data, and the results should be used in disease-monitoring programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most important vector-borne disease in Iran. Qom Province is a very important area in the case of CL transmission, because of high traffic population from other parts of the country, or even other countries, as well as existence of confirmed foci of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the ecology of sand flies in two different climates of this province and model the distribution of the main vector. Sand flies were collected monthly during April 2013–April 2014, at 22 urban/rural collection sites. Site selection was constrained by the geographical distribution of CL cases in recent years. Shannon–Weiner and Evenness indices were used to compare diversity in two studied climates. ArcGIS and MaxEnt were used to map and predict the appropriate ecological niches for sand flies. Totally, 5389 sand flies were collected and 12 species were identified. The most abundant species were Sergentomyia sintoni, P. papatasi , P. sergenti s.l. and Phlebotomus alexandri . Two peaks of activity were found in May and August in lowlands; while in mountainous areas they were observed in June and September. Species diversity in mountainous areas was found to be higher than in lowlands. The environmental variable with the highest gain in MaxEnt model was the monthly mean of (max temp–min temp). A big part of the lowland areas provides good ecological niches for P. papatasi and therefore higher transmission potential. These findings can be used in stratification of potential for CL transmission in Qom province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) is still a serious health problem in Iran. The objective of the study was to determine the differences in sand fly biodiversity in Shush (plain) and Khorramshahr (littoral) Counties, Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran. Sand flies were collected using sticky paper traps from urban, semi urban, agricultural and natural ecotypes. Alpha and beta diversity were calculated using Shannon–Weiner index and Jaccard's and Sorensen's coefficients, respectively. Synanthropic index was determined for the first time for Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus alexandri in different land use categories in Iran. Totally 11213 specimens, 68.47% in Shush and 31.53% in Khorramshahr, were collected. Eleven species of sand flies including, 2 of genus Phlebotomus and 9 of genus Sergentomyia were identified . Sergentomyia christophersi was found as a new record. Dominant species were P. papatasi and Sergentomyia sintoni . Shannon–Weiner index, richness and evenness in semi urban area of Shush County were more than other habitats. The analysis of α biodiversity showed that agricultural ecosystem of Khorramshahr County had the highest diversity due to maximal richness and diversity and also relatively high evenness. Comparison of similarity of the sand flies population composition between Shush and Khorramshahr indicated the maximum similarity between the urban area of Shush and the semi urban area of Khorramshahr ( S j = 75% and S s = 86%). Synanthropic index of P. papatasi and P. alexandri were calculated to be −83.34 and −91.18, respectively in Shush County. Estimated synanthropic indices for P. papatasi and P. alexandri in three habitats (natural, semi urban and urban) of Khorramshahr County were −69.84 and −85.89, in the same order. The factors for having high diversity of sand flies in the plain area studied may be due to higher annual precipitation, the related land use and land cover. The changes on the composition of sand flies are perhaps due to human intervention in their natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]