On March 9, 2018 , Omar Hamarsheh and others published a new study in Parasit Vectors, volume 11 (1) :160 titled " Development of polymorphic EST microsatellite markers for the sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae)" The article showed that Phlebotomus papatasi is a widely distributed sand fly species in different tropical and sub-tropical regions including the Middle East and North Africa. It is considered an important vector that transmits Leishmania major parasites, the causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
The development of microsatellite markers for this sand fly vector is of high interest to understand its population structure and to monitor its geographic dispersal. The results of this study show that the development of these functional microsatellites enables a high resolution of P. papatasi populations and opens a path for researchers to perform multi locus-based population genetic structure analyses, and comparative mapping, a part of the efforts to uncover the population dynamics of this vector, which is an important global strategy for understanding the epidemiology and control of leishmaniasis.
For more information about the study, please contact the main author at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the scientific research office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
