Background: Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are important vectors of various human and animal pathogens such asBartonella bacilliformis,Phlebovirus, and parasitic protozoa of the genusLeishmania, causative agent of leishmaniases that account among most significant vector-borne diseases. The Maghreb countries Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya occupy a vast area of North Africa and belong to most affected regions by these diseases. Locally varying climatic and ecological conditions support diverse sand fly fauna that includes many proven or suspected vectors. The aim of this review is to summarize often fragmented information and to provide an updated list of sand fly species of the Maghreb region with illustration of species-specific morphological features and maps of their reported distribution.Materials and methods: The literature search focused on scholar databases to review information on the sand fly species distribution and their role in the disease transmissions in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, surveying sources from the period between 1900 and 2020. Reported distribution of each species was collated using Google Earth, and distribution maps were drawn using ArcGIS software. Morphological illustrations were compiled from various published sources.Results and conclusions: In total, 32 species of the generaPhlebotomus(Ph.) andSergentomyia(Se.) were reported in the Maghreb region (15 from Libya, 18 from Tunisia, 23 from Morocco, 24 from Algeria, and 9 from Mauritania).Phlebotomus mariaeandSe. africanasubsp.asiaticawere recorded only in Morocco,Ph. mascitti,Se. hirtus, andSe. tiberiadisonly in Algeria, whereasPh. duboscqi,Se. dubia,Se. africana africana,Se. lesleyae,Se. magna, andSe. freetownensiswere reported only from Mauritania. Our review has updated and summarized the geographic distribution of 26 species reported so far in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, excluding Mauritania from a detailed analysis due to the unavailability of accurate distribution data. In addition, morphological differences important for species identification are summarized with particular attention to closely related species such asPh. papatasiandPh. bergeroti,Ph. chabaudi, andPh. riouxi, andSe. christophersiandSe. clydei.

Sindbis virus (SINV) is a zoonotic alphavirus (family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus) that causes human diseases in Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Occasionally, SINV outbreaks were reported in South Africa and northern Europe. Birds are the main amplifying hosts of SINV, while mosquitoes play the role of the primary vector. Culex mosquitoes were collected in Algeria and subsequently tested for SINV. SINV RNA was detected in 10 pools out of 40, from a total of 922 mosquitoes tested. A strain of SINV was isolated from a pool displaying high viral load. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the SINV Algeria isolate was most closely related to a Kenyan strain. This was the first record of SINV in Algeria and more broadly in northwestern Africa, which can be a potential risk for human health in the circulating area. Further studies are needed to measure the impact on public health through seroprevalence studies in Algeria.

Background & objectives: West Nile virus (WNV) is considered one of the most widely distributed arboviruses in the world which is transmitted by several mosquito species including the Culex genus. Culex pipiens is the major vector of this virus in Europe and USA whereas in African countries, other species such as Cx. perexiguus is considered as an important vector. This paper aimed to study the mosquito species involved in WNV transmission in Aougrout, one of the highly populated Oasis of Timimoun Province in Algeria where human WNV neuroinvasive diseases are prevalent. Methods: CDC light-traps were installed in animal and human shelters for three nights. Collected mosquitoes were pooled and real-time PCR was performed to detect and identify WNV lineages 1 and 2 in the samples. Results: CDC light-traps collected 270 mosquitoes belonging to three genera. Culex genus was predominant with Cx. perexiguus as main species followed by Aedes and Anopheles genus. A total of 33 pools were tested; one pool containing Cx. perexiguus was found positive for WNV lineage 1. Interpretation & conclusion: This study reports for the first time a WNV natural infection of Culex perexiguus in the study region indicating that species other than Cx. pipiens should be taken into consideration in WNV surveillance, especially in specific environments like Saharan Oasis ecosystem.