Species Composition of Sand-fly and Occurrence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Owerri North Local Government Area, Imo State

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease of public health value vectored by sand-fly in tropical and vegetative regions of the world. This study was carried out between March and September, 2019 to determine species composition of Sand fly and occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. Light and paper oil trap were used to trap 204 Sandflies from 3 villages and identified with standard entomological technique based on morphological characteristics. Assessment of the skin for cutaneous leishmaniasis manifestation was carried out on available respondents above 15 years. Blood samples were collected from 42 head of households and emptied into EDTA containers. Laboratory analysis of blood samples was carried out using standard method of staining and microscopy. Result was represented in percentages and subjected to chi-square analysis. The result revealed two sand-fly genera; Phlebotomus (135) and Lutzomyia (69) with abundant rates of 66.17% and 33.82% respectively. The different species were present in the villages sampled and female flies accounted for 45.59% of the collection. There was no typical CL skin manifestation observed among villagers, however, laboratory analysis of the household respondents showed 3(7.14) persons had amastigote form of leis hymenia in their blood. The study reveals occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis and its possible vectors in the study area. There is need for public health awareness, health education and application of effective control measures for sand-fly in this area