Abstract:
Leishmaniasis is caused by a protozoan parasite belonging to the genus Leishmania. The
disease is transmitted via infective the bite of female phlebotomine sandflies. The disease
has three clinical presentations depending on the different tissues involved (skin ±
cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), mucous membranes ± mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)
and internal organs ± visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Leishmaniasis is endemic in more than
90 countries including neighboring countries like India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
CL is prevalent in many parts of Sri Lanka and has become an established disease in the
country. A few cases of visceral leishmaniasis are also reported and many more cases may
be awaiting diagnosis. The causative organism of Sri Lankan CL was confirmed as
Leishmania donovani MON 37. The true vectors of leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka are still
under investigation and no concrete evidence has surfaced even though the potential
vector Phlebotomus argentipes was reported in 1910. The researchers carried out a field
study on vector aspects of leishmaniasis in a selected pocket where there were many
reported cases of CL. The objectives were to describe the distribution of various species of
sandflies in the area and to identify the true vectors of leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka
