title: Sandfly fauna in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, visceral leishmaniasis, a major public health problem, has been spreading from the rural to urban areas in many areas of Brazil, including Aracaju, the capital of the State of Sergipe. However, there are no studies of the sandfly fauna in this municipality or its variation over the year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Phlebotomine sandflies were collected from a rural area of Aracaju from September 2007 to July 2009. Modified CDC ultra-violet (UV) light traps were used to evaluate sandfly monthly distribution and their presence in the domestic and peridomestic environments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most abundant species was Lutzomyia longipalpis (90.4%) followed by Evandromyia lenti (9.6%). A chicken shed trap site had the highest proportion of L. longipalpis (51.1%) and large numbers of L. longipalpis were also collected in the houses closest to the chicken shed. There was a positive correlation between monthly rainfall and L. longipalpis abundance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lutzomyia longipalpis is the most abundant species and is probably the main vector of the visceral leishmaniasis agent in the rural area of Aracaju. An increase in L. longipalpis frequency was observed during the rainy season. The peridomicile-intradomicile observations corroborate the importance of chicken sheds for the presence of L. longipalpis in the peridomestic environment. The great numbers of L. longipalpis inside the houses confirm the endophilic behaviour of this species and the possibility of visceral transmission in the intradomicile.
authors: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Instituto de Tecnologia e Pesquisa de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brasil. veronica_sierpe@hotmail.com
authors: Verónica de Lourdes Sierpe
authors: Vde L
authors: Jeraldo
authors: Marco Aurélio de Oliveira
authors: MA
authors: Góes
authors: Claudio
authors: C
authors: Casanova
authors: Claudia Moura de
authors: CM
authors: Melo
authors: Edilson Divino de
authors: ED
authors: Araújo
authors: Sinval Pinto
authors: SP
authors: Brandão Filho
authors: Danilo Esdras Rocha
authors: DE
authors: Cruz
authors: Mara Cristina
authors: MC
authors: Pinto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000145:classification*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D011156:Population Density; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification*; D012424:Rural Population; D012621:Seasons