Phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae) from a Urban Park of Belém, Pará State, Northern Brazil and Potential Implications in the Transmission of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Abstract

In urban ecotourism parks, the life cycle of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) agents can remain established, where phlebotomines may comprise potential risks for visitors. The present study aimed to survey the phlebotomine fauna of a forest park ‘Bosque Rodriques Alves-Jardim Botânico da Amazônia’ (BRAJBA), in the urban area of Belém, Brazil. The park was monthly surveyed in 2018 using CDC light traps placed in ground and canopy strata. Leishmania spp. isolated from dissected females were characterized by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Fluctuations in specimen capture were correlated with rainfall. Nyssomyia antunesi (Coutinho, 1939) was predominant for all surveyed ecotopes and capture methods in both areas. Females of Ny. antunesi resting on tree bases were observed attempting to bite researchers during early morning. One Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira, 1942) and one Trichophoromyia brachipyga (Mangabeira, 1942) were found naturally infected by flagellates. Only the strain from Th. brachipyga was isolated and characterized as Leishmania (Viannia) lainsoni Silveira, Shaw, Braga and Ishikawa, 1987. Monthly fluctuations of the three most abundant species, Ny. antunesi, Trichophoromyia ubiquitalis (Mangabeira, 1942) and Th. brachypiga, had statistically significant negative correlations with rainfall. The present study provided further information to better understand ACL ecology in the Belém urban area, where the urban parks surveyed appeared to offer potential risk of contracting the disease, thus requiring environmental management. These observations highlighted the need for including Ny. antunesi, Bi. flaviscutellata, Th. ubiquitalis, and Th. brachypiga in the priority list for continuous entomological surveillance.

Increasing putative vector importance of Trichophoromyia phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae)

“…These novel findings for Th. brachipyga corroborate with the results reported by Sánchez Uzcátegui et al (33) It is speculated that this Trichophoromyia species may act as an alternative vector, probably sharing its role with Th. ubiquitalis in some ecotopes.…”

“…Sánchez Uzcátegui et al (33) investigated phebotomines from an urban park of Belém, the Bosque Rodrigues Alves -Jardim Botânico da Amazônia, where one specimen of Th. brachipyga was found to be moderately/ weakly (++) parasitised with a peripylarian flagelate.…”

An overview of the sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) followed by the detection of Leishmania DNA and blood meal identification in the state of Acre, Amazonian Brazil

“…antunesi was found in low abundance in forest environments. (29) This species has been associated with foci of visceral (49) and CL, (50) being also regarded as a suspected vector of L. (V.) lindenbergi in the state of Pará. (48) One solely Ps.…”

Further insights into the eco-epidemiology of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Belem metropolitan region, Pará State, Brazil

“…From an eco-epidemiological point of view, it is interesting to note that these Leishmania spp. enzootics in the BMR remain established in residual forest fragments with ecological conditions, such as the presence of phlebotomine potential vectors 37 , 38 , which favor Leishmania life cycles. Clinical and socioeconomic data show ACL in the BMR as a predominantly accidental disease with an occupational/eco-touristic character, since it has mainly been associated with middle-aged men exposed to peri-urban forest environments.…”

“…In this study, we record the first three cases of ACL due to L. ( V. ) braziliensis in the BMR, with strains from the municipalities of Belém, Benevides, and Castanhal being compatible with the MHOM/BR/1975/M2903 RNAPOIILS-PCR-RFLP profile, thus, distinct from that of L. ( V. ) lindenbergi . The ecological scenario of L. ( V. ) braziliensis is not yet well understood in this region, as the well-known vectors Psychodopygus wellcomei/Psychodopygus complexus have not yet been recorded in surveyed forest fragments in the BMR 11 , 37 , 38 . Alternative transmission (most likely by other ‘psychodopygians’), thus, cannot be ruled out.…”