Screening of leishmanial parasites from domestic and wild animals was carried out in Kacheliba, West Pokot District. Spleens and livers of the animals were cultured in NNN diphasic medium. Thin smears of the same tissues were also made and stained with Giemsa stain and examined under microscope. Positive slide smears were obtained from goats and positive cultures obtained in four goats, one rat and two lizards.

Three types of human leishmaniases are known to occur in Kenya: visceral leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania donovani, and cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. aethiopica and L. major. Visceral leishmaniasis is the most important of the three in eastern Africa, not only because it is fatal but also because several epidemics have occurred periodically since the disease appeared in the country about 40 years ago resulting in many deaths. L. aethiopica and L. major are chiefly zoonotic and people contract the disease when they wander into areas containing animal reservoirs and infected vectors. Control measures were undertaken against vectors and reservoirs during an epidemic outbreak of kala-azar in Machakos District.

The breeding sites and biology of Phlebotomus pedifer was investigated in the caves of the old focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Mt Elgon, Bungoma District, Kenya. Phlebotomus pedifer was found to rest mainly in the poorly lighted areas of the caves, on the roof, the floor of caves under objects, and in cracks and crevices inside the caves. The flies were also found in abundance in cracks and crevices outside the caves where hyraxes were found to rest. Immature stages of P. pedifer were recovered from wet areas of the floor of the caves. The biology of this species was investigated and the mean duration from egg to adult was 37 days.

The vectors of Leishmania major were investigated in Marigat, Baringo District, Kenya, a focus of both visceral and dermal leishmaniases. These studies resulted in the discovery of the resting sites of Phlebotomus duboscqi, a known vector of L. major, and of alternate principal resting sites of Phlebotomus martini, a known vector of visceral leishmaniasis. Furthermore, Sergentomyia ingrami was incriminated as a possible vector of L. major among susceptible rodents inside burrows. Trapping methods which have resulted in the discovery of the resting sites of these phlebotomine sandflies are presented in this paper.

An investigation was carried out around animal burrows in Marigat, Baringo District (Kenya) for 6 months to observe host attraction or host preference of phlebotomine sandflies. Six different kinds of caged animals from groups of Rodentia, Aves, Reptilia, Carnivora and Bovis were used. The host preference of Phlebotomus duboscqi, P. martini and Sergentomyia ingrami were distinctive. Most of the Sergentomyia species preferred feeding on reptilian hosts as is indicated in the blood meal analysis. Among the species were opportunistic feeders on hosts which appeared not to be favoured hosts.

Studies of outer chorionic sculpturing of eggs of four species of sandflies were carried out by the use of scanning electron microscope. Two species, P. martini and S. garnhami, which utilize similar resting sites, termite hill ventilation shafts, had similar chorionic sculpturing, while two other species (S. bedfordi and S. kirki) which use several resting sites, i.e. rock crevices, tree holes and termite ventilation shafts, had chorionic sculpturings which were dissimilar.