Introduction
Sandflies are present in tropical and subtropical, arid and semi-arid areas and temperate zones including southern Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Central and South America. Phlebotomine sandflies are tiny diptera insects grouped in the family Psychodidae, subfamily Phlebotominae.
To date, over 800 species are estimated to exist in different regions of the world [1]. Two genera (Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia) of Phlebotominae are mostly recorded in the old world (OW) and the other genus Lutzomyia exists in the new world (NW) [2]. Only females are hematophagous and require a blood meal to develop their eggs. Sandflies take blood from a wide range of animals such as cold-blooded vertebrates, mammals and birds; trophic preferences vary depending on the sandfly species.Of the 800 sandfly species, at least 98 are proven or suspected vectors of microorganisms capable to cause parasitic, viral or bacterial diseases in vertebrates [1].
This chapter will focus essentially on sandfly-borne viruses, which have been proven agents of diseases in humans.
The arthropod-borne diseases including sandfly-borne viral diseases affect urban, peri-urban, and rural population but mostly the communities with poor living conditions. Economic, social and ecological conditions have a huge impact on sandfly-borne viral diseases [3, 4]. The factors that described as associated with arthropod-borne diseases emergence or invasion are (i) competent vector and vertebrate host population repeatedly in contact within an appropriate environment, (ii) vertebrate or vector host species composition changes, (iii) environmental or niche changes and (iv) genetic changes [5].
Although sandflies can transmit a number of arthropod-borne viruses within the families Phenuiviridae, Reoviridae and Rhabdoviridae, they remain neglected vectors of viral diseases in contrast with a high interest for parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis. The three virus families contain human/animal pathogens. In the Rhabdoviridae family, attention will be given to Chandipura virus; in the Reoviridae family, we will focus on Changuinola virus [2, 6-8]. In the Phenuiviridae family, we will focus on Sandfly fever Sicilian virus, Sandfly fever Naples virus, Toscana virus, Adria virus and Punta Toro virus (PTV).
2.