Based on the comprehensive studies in the past years, the authors reviewed important findings on biology, especially the resting habits, of the four major species of sandflies transmitting visceral leishmaniasis. The effective ways for sandfly control were also discussed.

ObjectiveTo describe the morphological variation of pointed teeth of buccal armature of Sergentomyia nankingensis in a supplementary study. Methods The morphology of Sergentomyia nankingensis was observed and the specimens included S nankingensis captured from the field as well as the female ones bred in the laboratary and their offspring of first generation. Results The buccal armature of females and males, consists of about 10-19 and 8-15 pointed teeth and the pigmented plate is polymorphous. In the nature,the number of pointed teeth of buccal armature of Sergentomyia is unstable,varying in more than 10 teeth in the same species sometimes. Conclusion Identification of species needs large amount of specimens for comparative observation. Sergentomyia sandfly should be raised separately and individually for morphological observation of its newly emerged offspring, especially when the sandfly specimens and data collected in the field were not sufficient.

Objective To observe the ultrastructure of pharyngeal armature of 7 species of sandflies in China. Methods The pharyngeal armatures of various sandflies were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Results The pharyngeal armature of sandfly consisted of pointed-teeth with various shape, number and arrangement among different species. Conclusion Such differences may provide the morphological proof for identification of species.

ABSTRACT:To explore the feasibility of DNA barcoding in the identification of sandflies ,the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) genes of 9 dominant species in China from three genera in the Phlebotominae were studied .The in‐traspecies and interspecies genetic distances were calculated using the Kimura‐2‐parameter model ,and the phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by neighbor‐joining (NJ) method .Results showed that all of sandflies species were successfully distinguish‐ed by the phylogenetic trees .The average intraspecific genetic distance (0 .8% ) was much less than the average interspecific ge‐netic distance (11 .2% ) .The study based on COI sequences indicates that the sandflies from China could be well distinguished with the commonly used COI barcodes ,which are potentially well utilized in sandflies species identification .

Objective To analyze the status of Leishmania infantum asymptomatic infection in human population of a Kala-azar endemic area in Wenxian County,Gansu Province,and to evaluate the tests used.Methods Blood samples were tested by PCR using two pairs of primers,RV1-RV2 and K13A-K13B,for detecting Leishmania-specific DNA.ELISA and rK39-dipstick were used to detect Leishmania-specific antibodies.Results The positive rate of PCR,ELISA and rK39-dipstick was 30.9%(83/269),24.2%(65/269) and 0(0/269) respectively.Conclusion The prevalence of asymptomatic infection of L.infantum in humans is high in the area.PCR test based on RV1-RV2 and K13A-K13B primer pairs is a sensitive and specific method for detecting the asymptomatic infection.