Espécies de Anopheles no município de Pinheiro (Maranhão), área endêmica de malária

Santi²,

Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet.

et al. 2015

The states that make up the Legal Amazon Region, which include the state of Maranhão, account for 99% of registered cases of human malaria in Brazil. It is also believed that transmission of malaria from nonhuman primates (NHP) to humans occurs in this region, because of current reports of seroepidemiological results from samples from humans and NHP coexisting in the same areas. This study aimed to make morphological, serological and molecular diagnoses of Plasmodium spp. in neotropical primates on the island of São Luís, state of Maranhão, Brazil. The diagnostic techniques used were optical microscopy, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). From June 2009 to April 2010, 70 NHP were sampled: 50 at the Wild Animal Screening Center (CETAS), located in the municipality of São Luís and 20 free-living individuals that were caught in a private reserve located in the municipality of São Jose de Ribamar, state of Maranhão. Under an optical microscope, 140 slides (two from each animal) were evaluated and five animals (7.1%) were found to be positive. IFA did not detect anti-Plasmodium spp. From PCR on the 70 animals sampled, amplified Plasmodium spp. products were observed in 13 samples, of which eight (61.5%) were from free-living animals and five (38.5%) were from animals at CETAS.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Plasmodium infection in neotropical primates in the island of São Luís, state of Maranhão, Brazil

Santi²,

Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet.

et al. 2015

“…evansae was collected at all surveyed points, it was very rare at site 1 and presented higher densities at sites 3 StructurE of Anopheles (DiptEra: culiciDaE) population in arEaS with DiffErEnt DEGrEES of huMan SEttlEMEnt: cantá -roraiMa -Brazil and 4, though not significantly different. Low densities of this species were also observed inside houses and in peridomiciliary areas by Oliveira-Pereira & Rebelo (2000), in the northeastern region of Brazil, and also by Guimarães et al (1997Guimarães et al ( , 2004, in the central-western and southern parts of the country.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Structure of Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) population in areas with different degrees of human settlement: Cantá - Roraima - Brazil

et al. 2008

“…Mosquitoes were caught over a 4-h period (5:30 pm - 9:30 pm) since a previous study in São Luis Island showed that Anopheles spp. presented higher biting activity from 6:00 pm - 9: 00 pm [3]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The parasite species responsible for the highest number of cases in Maranhão is P. vivax , and the anopheline species that are considered to be the main vectors are Anopheles aquasalis on the coast and An. darlingi in the interior of this state [3]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular identification of Plasmodium spp. and blood meal sources of anophelines in environmental reserves on São Luís Island, state of Maranhão, Brazil

et al. 2017

BackgroundConsidering the diversity of feeding habits that females of some species of anophelines present, it is important to understand which vertebrates are part of blood food sources and how important is the role of each in the ecoepidemiology of malaria. There are many vector species for Plasmodium spp. in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. In São Luís Island, Anopheles aquasalis is the main vector for human malaria; this species is abundant in areas with primates that are positive for Plasmodium. Anopheles aquasalis has natural exophilic and zoophilic feeding behavior, but in cases of high density and absence of animals, presents quite varied behavior, and feeds on human blood. In this context, the objective of the present study was to identify Plasmodium spp. and the blood meal sources of anophelines in two environmental reserves on São Luís Island, state of Maranhão, using molecular methods.MethodsBetween June and July 2013, female anophelines were collected in the Sítio Aguahy Private Reserve, in the municipality of São José de Ribamar, and in the Sítio Mangalho Reserve, located within the Maracanã Environmental Protection Area, in the municipality of São Luís. CDC-type light traps, Shannon traps and protected human bait were used during three consecutive hours in peridomestic and wooded areas. Pools of anophelines were formed using mosquitoes of the same species that had been caught at the same site on the same date. A genus-specific amplification protocol based on the 18S rRNA gene was used for qPCR and cPCR.ResultsA total of 416 anophelines were collected, of the following species: An. aquasalis (399), An. mediopunctatus (3), An. shannoni (1), An. nuneztovari (sensu lato) (1), An. goeldii (1), An. evansae (2) and An. (Nyssorhynchus) sp. (9), comprising 54 pools. Two pools were positive for Plasmodium (2/54) based on the 18S rRNA gene. In the phylogenetic analysis using the maximum likelihood method, based on a 240 bp fragment of the 18S rRNA gene, it was found that the sequences of Plasmodium sp. amplified from pools of An. aquasalis (pool 2) and An. nuneztovari (s.l.) (pool 10) were phylogenetically related to a clade of P. falciparum isolates from India, and to a clade of Plasmodium sp. isolates from psittacines in Brazil, respectively. Cat, dog and human DNA were identified in the blood meals of the anophelines sampled.ConclusionThe species An. aquasalis was the most abundant anopheline species in São Luís Island. Plasmodium spp. DNA was detected, thus confirming the importance of this species as the main vector on São Luís Island, Brazil. In addition, the presence of An. nuneztovari (s.l.) with DNA positive for Plasmodium spp. confirms its importance as a secondary vector.