Ecology of phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in rural foci of leishmaniasis in tropical Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: This work aimed to study the community structure of sandflies, with regard to the richness, constancy, abundance, and monthly frequency of the species with a focus on the transmission of leishmaniasis. Methods: The study was conducted in the rural villages of Bom Jardim and Santa Maria, situated on the edge of a tropical rain forest in the municipality of São Jose de Ribamar, Maranhão, Brazil. The phlebotomines were captured in the intradomiciles and peridomiciles of each village, with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps set in 10 homes in each village, for 1 year, once a month, from 18h to 6h. Results: We collected 1,378 individuals of 16 sandfly species. The capture success rate was higher in Bom Jardim (0.61 specimens/hour/trap) than that of Santa Maria (0.35/specimens/hour/trap). The sandflies were more abundant in the peridomiciles (86.1%) and in the rainy season (77%). Five species were considered constants (occurring in more than 50% of samples), 5 accessory (25%-50%), and 6 accidental (<25%). The most abundant species were Lutzomyia longipalpis (59.7%) and L whitmani (28%). The permutation analysis showed differences between the species composition of the villages and no separation between the intradomicile and peridomicile of each village. The species that most contributed to the dissimilarity between the light traps of the 2 villages were L. longipalpis, L. whitmani, and L. evandroi, contributing to 80.8% of the variation among groups. Conclusions: The high level of richness and abundance of species and the presence of competent vectors throughout the year and around houses justify the occurrence of leishmaniasis cases reported in the area.

Effects of forest degradation on the sand fly communities of northeast Brazil

“…Studies have shown a great species richness and abundance of sand flies in the peri‐domicile environments of several municipalities in the State of Maranhão (Silva et al 2010, 2012, 2015, Campos et al 2013, Rebêlo et al 2019). Some of these species are infected with different Leishmania species (Guimarães‐e‐Silva et al 2017, Pereira‐Filho et al 2018, Fonteles et al 2018).…”