title: Study on phlebotomine sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: A study on the phlebotomine sand fly fauna in Belo Horizonte city, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was carried out. From April 2001 to March 2003, monthly systematic collections were performed in three houses from each of the nine regions of the city, using CDC light traps for four consecutive days. The traps were set into the houses and in peridomestic areas totaling 54 traps. A number of 3871 sand fly specimens of the genera Lutzomyia and Brumptomyia were collected. Sixty eight percent of the specimens were L. longipalpis and 16% L. whitmani, insect vectors of visceral and American cutaneous leishmaniasis, respectively. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and frequency of precipitation suggest that the number of insects increases after rainy periods. During the same period mentioned above, seasonal captures were carried out in parks and green areas of Belo Horizonte, using Shannon trap. A total of 579 phlebotomine sand flies were collected from which 398 (68.7%) were females with the predominance of L. whitmani and L. monticola. Those specimens were used for natural infection examination, by polymerase chain reaction. No Leishmania DNA was present in any of the specimens tested.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-Fiocruz, Av. Augusto de Lima 1715, 30190-002 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carina Margonari de
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Jose Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pessanha
authors.forename: Ricardo Andrade
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: Erika Michalsky
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Daniela Carmargos
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Edelberto Santos
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Dias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000635:transmission; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D011156:Population Density; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification*; D012621:Seasons