-24- 



(Endris, pers. comm., 1984) demonstrated the ability of the non- 

 anthropophi 1 ic, rodent-feeding sand fly, Lu. anthophora , to transmit 

 L mexicana (strain WR-411, Uvalde, Texas) from infected to uninfected 

 hamsters by bite. This was the first report of a native USA species 

 of sand fly transmitting leishmaniasis by bite. The authors suggested 

 that L mexicana could be maintained in a wild rodent population by 

 Lu . anthophora from which it could then be transmitted to man by other 

 sympatric anthropophi 1 ic sand flies such as Lu. diabol ica . 



Finally, in 1983, Gustafson reported three confirmed and one 

 suspected case of cutaneous leishmaniasis from south central Texas 

 (Gustafson et al_. , 1984). 



The vectors of this disease in Texas are unknown and until the 

 present study, no attempts had been made to incriminate any 

 anthropophi 1 ic sand fly from areas of Leishmania endemicity in the 

 USA. 



Statement of Objectives 



This study was undertaken to investigate the life history and 

 biology of the sand fly Lutzomyia diabol ica (Hall) and its possible 

 role in the transmission of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Texas. 

 For comparison, the vector capacity of Lu. shannoni (Dyar), another 

 anthropophi 1 ic sand fly, was investigated in conjunction with that of 

 Lu . diabol ica . The specific objectives of the study were to 



1. conduct a field survey of potential vector sand flies in 

 vicinities of recent human case sites of leishmaniasis in Texas; 



2. study the field biology of Lu . diabol ica and collect wild 

 stock for a laboratory colony; 



