title: Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Governador Valadares, a transmission area for American tegumentary leishmaniasis in State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A study on the phlebotomine sandfly fauna was carried out in an endemic area for American tegumentary leishmaniasis in the municipality of Governador Valadares, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Captures were undertaken using HP light traps in four districts, on three nights per month, for one year (from January to December 2008). Correlations between climatic factors (temperature, relative air humidity and rainfall) and the numbers of sandflies collected was observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  5,413 phlebotomine specimens were caught and were identified as belonging to 12 species. Of these specimens, 2,851 (52%) were females and 2,562 (48%) were males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lutzomyia intermedia predominated (29.9% of the species caught), thus suggesting that they were responsible for transmission of American tegumentary leishmaniasis, together with L. whitmani, which was also found in the area (4.3%). The presence of L. longipalpis (11.9%), the main vector for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil, is an important finding, which makes rigorous entomological surveillance of the area necessary.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Vale do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brasil. ricbarata@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ricardo Andrade
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: Gustavo Fontes
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Paz
authors.forename: Marcela Cardoso
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Roberta Christiane Oliveira
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Daniela Campos Mendes de
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Fabiana Oliveira Lara e
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Erika Monteiro
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Michalsky
authors.forename: Aimara da Costa
authors.initials: Ada C
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
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*; D008297:Male; D011156:Population Density; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification*; D012621:Seasons