Genetic Diversity of Sand Fly (<i>Phlebotomus papatasi</i>) in Al‐Madinah Al‐Munawarah Region of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Sand flies called Phlebotomus papatasi are the primary vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is an endemic disease in Al‐Madinah Al‐Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. The molecular characterization of sand fly species is a helpful tool because genetic variability and population structure within and between populations might influence vectoral capability, necessitating the assessment of management strategies to control the spread of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Therefore, in this study, the structure of the P. papatasi population in Al‐Madinah region was investigated. The samples of P. papatasi were collected from Al‐Madinah region, identified, and subjected to mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene sequencing ( n = 45). Analysis of the sequences revealed 13 substitutions. There were 12 different haplotypes identified. Nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity were low estimated to be 0.0017 and 0.574, respectively. The neutrality indices determined using Tajima's D and Fu and Li's F * were all negative and statistically significant. This indicated that the population has an excess of singletons and low‐frequency variations. Network analysis showed one main haplotype and shared haplotypes at different nodes. According to this study, the P. papatasi population in the Al‐Madinah region is homogeneous. The knowledge obtained in this study contributes to a better understanding of the genetic geographic distribution of P. papatasi populations in relation to the location of Leishmania major foci, which could aid in the development of control strategies.