Dogs infected with Leishmania parasites smell more attractive to female sand flies

Dogs infected with the Leishmania parasite smell more attractive to female sand flies than males, say researchers. Leishmania parasites are transmitted from infected dogs to people by sand flies when they bite. As only female sand flies transmit the parasite, researchers wanted to understand if infection made dogs more attractive to the insect. Globally over 350 million people are at risk of leishmaniasis, with up to 300,000 new cases annually.