title: Monthly variation in natural infection of the sandfly Lutzomyia ayacuchensis with Leishmania mexicana in an endemic focus in the Ecuadorian Andes.
abstract: In order to collect information on the role of Lutzomyia ayacuchensis in the transmission of leishmaniasis in a newly discovered Andean endemic focus in Ecuador, a longitudinal field study was carried out over 13 months. Monthly dissections were made of a minimum of 200 anthropophilic sandflies, collected at night during the month. A total of 2600 flies was separated from a small number of Lu. osornoi, another anthropophilic species in the area, and dissected; 95 (3.65%) were naturally infected with Leishmania mexicana promastigotes. The parasites were always located in the sandfly midgut. The current study revealed a marked monthly variation both in natural infections with Leishmania and in biting activity of sandflies in the endemic area, demonstrating a high transmission rate during the period from the early rainy season to the early or mid dry season (February to July).
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Tropical, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hashiguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004484:Ecuador; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007894:Leishmania mexicana / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000635:transmission*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D013997:Time Factors