Impact of Climatic Factors on the Seasonal Fluctuation of Leishmaniasis Vectors in Central Morocco (Meknes Prefecture)

• Published in: The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology Vol. 2020; no. 2020; pp. 1 - 7
• Main Authors: Mouhdi, Karima EL, Talbi, Fatima Zahra, Chahlaoui, Abdelkader, El Omari, Hajar, El Ouali Lalami, Abdelhakim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 24.12.2020; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Abundance; Analysis; Care and treatment; Climate; Climate change; Climate effects; Climatic data; Correlation coefficient; Correlation coefficients; Diagnosis; Dominant species; Ecological conditions; Epidemiology; Females; Infectious diseases; Leishmaniasis; Males; Multiplication; Parasitic diseases; Precipitation; Principal components analysis; Public health; Risk factors; Seasonal variations; Seasonal variations (Diseases); Sex ratio; Surveys; Vector-borne diseases; Warning systems; Morocco
• ISSN: 1712-9532; 1918-1493
• DOI: 10.1155/2020/6098149

The impact of climate factors on the epidemiology of diseases in general and leishmaniasis in particular continues to be a subject of research and analysis. Changes in climatic parameters contribute to the creation of ecological conditions favorable to the multiplication of the vectors of certain diseases. With this in mind, this study presents an entomological survey conducted in Meknes prefecture and the study of the link between the abundance of sandflies, an indicator of the risk of leishmaniasis in a given area, and the climatic factors. Monthly trapping of this fauna was carried out during a year from March 2016 until April 2017 using adhesive traps. Climatic data from the region were used to determine the effect of climate on the distribution of sandflies. A total of 941 leishmaniasis vector specimens were captured. The dominant species is Ph. sergenti (73.32), followed by Ph. longicuspis (8.25%), then Ph. perniciosus (7.94%) and Ph. papatasi (6.31%). The sex ratio study showed that males are more abundant than females for all species. The seasonal fluctuation is bimodal with two peaks, the first in July and the second in September. The results show a positive correlation between temperature and abundance of sandflies (r = 0.99) and a negative correlation with humidity and precipitation with a correlation coefficient of r = −0.87 and r = −0.72. Indeed, the medium-term climatological forecasts are essential tools to develop a warning system for leishmaniasis.