title: Feeding preference of the sand flies Lutzomyia umbratilis and L. spathotrichia (diptera: Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in an urban forest patch in the city of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.
abstract: Precipitin tests were performed on blood meals of 199 sand flies (161 Lutzomyia umbratilis, 34 L. spathotrichia, two Lutzomyia of group shannoni, one L. anduzei) in a non-flooded upland forest on the Campus of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas. This is the second largest forest fragment in an urban setting in Brazil. Results on L. umbratilis, which is considered to be the principal leishmaniasis vector in this region, indicated rodents as its predominant blood source in contrast to previous reports in which blood meal analysis indicated that this species fed principally on Xenarthra (particularly sloths).
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Leishmaniose e Doença de Chagas, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, 69083 Manaus, AM, Brazil. lilianen@inpa.gov.br
authors.forename: Liliane Coelho da Rocha
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Nery
authors.forename: Nery Elias S
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Lorosa
authors.forename: Antonia Maria Ramos
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Franco
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000502:physiology*; D014197:Trees; D014504:Urban Health