ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Vet. Sci.

Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1603358

This article is part of the Research TopicSentinels of Health: Advancements in Monitoring and Surveillance of Vector-Borne Diseases in Domestic and Wild Animals and VectorsView all 18 articles

Monitoring of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and pathogen screening in Slovenia with habitat suitability modelling

Provisionally accepted
Vladimir  IvovićVladimir Ivović1Peter  GlasnovićPeter Glasnović1Sara  ZupanSara Zupan1Tea  KnapičTea Knapič2Tomi  TrilarTomi Trilar2Misa  KorvaMisa Korva3Nataša  KnapNataša Knap3Urška  Glinšek-BiškupUrška Glinšek-Biškup3Tatjana  Avsic ZupancTatjana Avsic Zupanc3Katja  AdamKatja Adam1,4*
  • 1Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia
  • 2Slovenian Museum of Natural History, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 3Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • 4University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) are important vectors of pathogens, including Leishmania parasites and phleboviruses, but their distribution and seasonal activity in Slovenia have not been sufficiently studied. This study presents a comprehensive three-year (2020-2022) surveillance programme aimed at assessing the diversity of sandfly species, their distribution, seasonal dynamics and potential role as vectors of pathogens. A total of 1,240 sandflies were collected at 43 sampling sites across Slovenia, identifying Phlebotomus papatasi, P. neglectus, P. perniciosus and P. mascittii. The highest abundance and species diversity were observed in the Mediterranean and Karst regions. Seasonal activity peaked in July, with population fluctuations influenced by climatic conditions. Molecular analyses for Leishmania parasites and phleboviruses showed no positive results, indicating a low prevalence of pathogens in the sampled populations. Predictive habitat models indicate that environmental factors, particularly temperature and precipitation, play a decisive role in the spread of sandflies. While P. mascittii has the largest ecological range, its vector competence remains uncertain. The results provide important insights into the ecology 2 of sandflies in Slovenia and emphasise the need for continuous surveillance in the context of climate change and emerging vector-borne disease risks.

Keywords: sandflies, Monitoring, distribution, modelling, Slovenia

Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ivović, Glasnović, Zupan, Knapič, Trilar, Korva, Knap, Glinšek-Biškup, Avsic Zupanc and Adam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Katja Adam, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia

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