Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae): a review

Abstract

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the most important vector of American Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) due to Leishmania chagasi in the New World. Despite its importance, AVL, a disease primarily of rural areas, has increased its prevalence and became urbanized in some large cities in Brazil and other countries in Latin America. Although the disease is treatable, other control measures include elimination of infected dogs and the use of insecticides to kill the sand flies. A better understanding of vector biology could also account as one more tool for AVL control. A wide variety of papers about L. longipalpis have been published in the recent past years. This review summarizes our current information of this particular sand fly regarding its importance, biology, morphology, pheromones genetics, saliva, gut physiology and parasite interactions.

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

“…Such species has been described in several endemic areas of VL in Brazil and in several Latin American coun- tries. Its high vectorial capacity (Deane 1956, KillickKendrick 1990) associated with its high anthropophilia and the presence of the insect in peridomiciliary areas turn the species L. longipalpis as the greatest medical importance phlebotomine sand fly (Lainson & Shaw 1998, Soares & Turco 2003. This species has been collected through several punctual studies carried out in BH.…”

Lutzomyia longipalpis in Brazil: a complex or a single species? A mini-review

“…The primary vector of Leishmania infantum chagasi and hence of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America, Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) is probably the best-studied sand fly species in the Neotropical region (Soares & Turco 2003, Lainson & Rangel 2005. There is a fairly large body of data pointing out to the existence of a species complex (reviewed by Uribe 1999).…”

Infecção experimental de camundongos C57BL/6 por L.(L.) amazonensis na presença de saliva de Lu. longipalpis: estudo da relação parasito-hospedeiro com ênfase a parâmetros da imunidade

“…Durante sua alimentação, os flebotomíneos, por possuírem um aparelho bucal curto, podem chegar até seis vezes a espessura da epiderme que será (Schoeler & Wikel, 2001;Soares & Turco, 2003;Cruz et al, 2005;Lainson & Rangel, 2005;Kamhawi, 2006;Rogers & Bates, 2007;Warburg, 2008. …”

“…As diversas espécies de Leishmania que infectam o homem e são agentes de diferentes formas clínicas de leishmanioses descritas no Brasil, (Lainson & Shaw, 1987;Soares & Turco, 2003;Cruz et al, 2005).…”

“…INTRODUÇÃO digestivo do inseto vetor. Ambas possuem um cinetoplasto que consiste em uma mitocôndria modificada, contendo grande quantidade de DNA (Leiby et al, 1994;Sacks & Kamhawi, 2001;Vannier-Santos et al, 2002;Cruz et al, 2005 (Alexander et al, 1999;Almeida et al, 2003;Cruz et al, 2005;Leiby, 1994;Soares & Turco, 2003 Ilg, 2000;Späth et al, 2000;Cunningham, 2002;Späth et al, 2003;Cruz et al, 2005 (Rogers, 2004;Cruz et al, 2005).…”