Freqüência horária e sazonalidade de Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) na Ilha de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil

Abstract

This article presents the hourly and seasonal distribution of the Lutzomyia longipalpis sand fly captured on São Luís Island, Maranhão State. A total of 11,200 specimens were captured during monthly use of CDC light traps indoors and in animal sheds, between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM, in 1996 and 1997. The sand fly behaved as an annual species, with a high frequency year-round, while it was most abundant during the rainy season (57.2%) as compared to the dry season (42.8%). The highest frequencies during the rainy season occurred in January and April and in the dry season in July and November. The species was found all night long, mainly between 6:00 PM and 10:00 PM in animal sheds and between 8:00 PM and 2:00 AM indoors.

Study on phlebotomine sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) fauna in Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…This association was reported by Rebêlo (2001a) for the municipality of Buriticupu (state of Maranhão) where high densities of L. whitmani were coincident with increasing ACL human cases. In the present work, a similar analysis provided information on the same trend, i.e, increasing numbers of ACL human cases just after higher population densities of insect vectors ( Figs 3, 4).…”

“…In Porterinha (north of the state of Minas Gerais), frequency of precipitation showed to affect directly the amount of phlebotomine collected in the region (Barata et al 2004). Rebêlo (2001a) have showed that there was a high frequency of L. longipalpis during the whole year in São Luis Island, with an increasing trend in rainy periods when compared to the dry periods. Temperature, humidity, and precipitation showed no influence in monthly insect density.…”

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the municipality of Várzea Grande: an area of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil

“…Add to this social crises and environmental changes such as prolonged and periodical droughts enabling new VL foci in urban areas (Vieira & Coelho 1998). The non-significant correlation between insect density and the bioclimatic variables under study had also not been observed by Souza et al (2004) in Belo Horizonte, and Rebêlo (2001) in São Luis, state of Maranhão. The non-significant effect of temperature on phlebotomine density was reported by Barata et al (2004), although Monteiro et al (2005) have found correlations between high temperatures and peaks of VL transmission.…”

Lutzomyia longipalpis behavior and control at an urban visceral leishmaniasis focus in Argentina

“…In Venezuela the greatest activity of this species was recorded before 23.00h 15 , and in Maranhão, Brazil, in animal sheds Lu. longipalpis was mainly collected between 18.00h and 20.00h 29 . These results highlight the risk associated with the nocturnal habits of the people of Posadas, who usually remain in their backyards during the summer months from dinnertime to around midnight.…”