Phlebotomine Sand Fly Fauna andLeishmaniaInfection in the Vicinity of the Serra do Cipó National Park, a Natural Brazilian Heritage Site

Abstract

In the New World, the leishmaniases are primarily transmitted to humans through the bites of Leishmania-infected Lutzomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae) phlebotomine sand flies. Any or both of two basic clinical forms of these diseases are endemic to several cities in Brazil—the American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) and the American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL). The present study was conducted in the urban area of a small-sized Brazilian municipality (Jaboticatubas), in which three cases of AVL and nine of ACL have been reported in the last five years. Jaboticatubas is an important tourism hub, as it includes a major part of the Serra do Cipó National Park. Currently, no local data is available on the entomological fauna or circulating Leishmania. During the one-year period of this study, we captured 3,104 phlebotomine sand flies belonging to sixteen Lutzomyia species. In addition to identifying incriminated or suspected vectors of ACL with DNA of the etiological agent of AVL and vice versa, we also detected Leishmania DNA in unexpected Lutzomyia species. The expressive presence of vectors and natural Leishmania infection indicates favorable conditions for the spreading of leishmaniases in the vicinity of the Serra do Cipó National Park.

Therapeutic effect of ursolic acid in experimental visceral leishmaniasis

“…Depending on the infecting species and the intrinsic characteristics of the host (Lana et al., 2015), cutaneous leishmaniasis or visceral leishmaniasis (VL) can be clinically characterized. So far, VL has been recognized as the most serious clinical form of this group of diseases (Monge-Maillo and López-Vélez, 2013).…”

Temporal distribution of, and effect of anthropic modifications on, phlebotomine populations in the Chaco Bioregion, Argentina

“…sordellii with Le. braziliensis DNA in Brazil (Lana et al, 2015), although their vector capacity is still unknown.…”

Phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a Hydroelectric System Affected Area from Northern Amazonian Brazil: Further Insights into the Effects of Environmental Changes on Vector Ecology

“…Secondly, flagellate infections isolated from this species (formerly referred to as Lutzomyia nordestina ) are historically recognized as distinct from Leishmania [22] or remain undetermined, [32] and are more likely to be other trypanosomatids [22]. Furthermore, despite recent reports of molecular Leishmania ascribed to this fly [33, 34], currently, polymerase chain reaction-based techniques do not allow “true infection” to be distinguished from a “simple and occasionally ingested” DNA fragment [3]. Thus, there remains insufficient evidence for a potential vector role of S. sordellii in Leishmania transmission.…”