Ecological aspects of phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae) in endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis, Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
Aspects of phlebotomine behavior were investigated in the city of Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul state. The insects were captured weekly during December 2003 to November 2005, with Centers for Disease Control light traps at seven different sites including forests and residential areas. In total, 11,024 specimens (7,805 males and 3,219 females) were collected, from which 9,963 (90.38%) were identified as Lutzomyia longipalpis, the proven vector of American visceral leishmaniasis agent. The remaining 9.62% comprised 21 species. L. longipalpis was the most frequent species in all sampled sites, and the first in the ranking of standardized species abundance index. In residential areas this species clearly predominated in the peridomicile (90.96%), in contrast to the intradomicile (9.04%); in animal shelters, it was more numerous in hen houses and prevailed at ground level, inside, and at forest edge around the residences; this aspect is worrying because this insect may remain sheltered in forested environments during the use of insecticides in homes. In the forest environment, other probable or proven vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis agents were also captured such as Lutzomyia whitmani (=Nyssomyia whitmani, sensu Galati), Lutzomyia antunesi (=Nyssomyia antunesi, sensu Galati), and Lutzomyia flaviscutellata (=Bichromomyia flaviscutellata, sensu Galati).
Departamento de Patologia/Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Cidade Universitária s/n, 79070-900, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil. alessandra.oliveira@ufms.br
Alessandra Gutierrez
AG
Oliveira
Eunice Aparecida Bianchi
EA
Galati
Carlos Eurico
CE
Fernandes
Maria Elizabeth Cavalheiros
ME
Dorval
Reginaldo Peçanha
RP
Brazil
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000502:physiology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D008297:Male; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000502:physiology*