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An entomological survey was carried out in two districts of central (Kruje) and northern (Lezhe) Albania. Six collecting sites, showing a variety of diurnal resting sites, were monitored for adult sandflies from June through October 2002. Flies were collected with CDC miniature light traps, sticky traps and mechanical or hand aspirators in peridomestic sites, in bedrooms and inside cow barns, chicken coops and pigpens. All collecting sites monitored were found positive for sandflies. A total of 849 specimens were caught (29.2 % males) belonging to five Phlebotomus species. Phlebotomus neglectus (75.6 %) was the most abundant species followed by P. perfiliewi (14.4 %), P. papatasi (4.6 %), P. tobbi (3.6 %) and P. similis (1.8 %). The first adult of P. neglectus appeared on June 11 and the last one was collected on October 16. The highest density for this species was observed at the end of July. A total of 111 blood-fed females were caught from the two areas studied. P. neglectus was the only species found blood fed in Lezhe and the same species was prevalent (56.1 %) in Kruje followed by P. perfiliewi (30.3 %), P. tobbi (10.6 %); P. papatasi was represented by only two specimens. Blood meal origin was determined in 45/66 (68.2 %) of the females tested from Kruje district. P. neglectus was found fed on four hosts, showing the following feeding patterns: cow (71.4 %), dog (17.1 %), chicken (5.7 %) and human (5.7 %) ; P. perfiliewi was found fed on cow (80.0 %) and chicken (20.0 %), P. tobbi on cow (50.0 %), chicken (25.0 %) and dog (25.0 %). One specimen of P. papatasi was found fed on cow. When such prevalences were analysed by the available biomass for each host present at the collecting site, P. neglectus resulted to be an opportunistic feeder rather than exhibiting preferences for any specific animal. PCR analysis of 39 P. neglectus from the Lezhe district gave negative results for the presence of Leishmania DNA.

The note reports the data of a three-year sand fly investigation (1997-99) carried out in Eastern Sicily (Italy) with the aim to study the distribution of Phlebotomus sergenti. The survey involved a densely inhabited area at the foot of Mount Etna and the area of Iblei mounts. A total of 9,095 sand flies, of which 63.4 % males, were captured. Five species belonging to the genus Phlebotomus (P. perniciosus, P. perfiliewi, P. neglectus, P. sergenti and P. papatasi) and one to the genus Sergentomyia (S. minuta) were identified. Both the prevalence and distribution of the species were different within the two areas studied. In Mount Etna area, P. perniciosus (77.7 %) was the prevalent species followed by S. minuta (19.8 %), P. sergenti (2.0 %), P. neglectus (0.3 %) and P. papatasi (0.2 %). While in Iblei mounts region S. minuta (84,5 %) showed the highest prevalence, followed by P. perniciosus (14.4 %), P. perfiliewi (0,9 %) and P. neglectus (0,1 %). Here, P. sergenti was a very rare species (‹ 0.02). P. sergenti was mostly associated to domestic habitats of peri-urban and urban zones located between two and 750 m a.s.l. The density values of P. sergenti. expressed as number of specimens/m2 of sticky trap, were between 0.3 and 5.5 with the highest value in the hilly collecting sites. The low observed abundance of P. sergenti does not allow to draw any prediction on the role that the species could play in the transmission of leishmaniasis in Sicily.