Ecological aspects of phebotomine (Diptera, Psychodidae) in an endemic area of tegumentary leishmaniasis in the Northeastern Argentina, 1993-1998

The first epidemic tegumentary leishmaniasis ' outbreak in the province of Misiones was recorded in 1998, in the locality of Puerto Esperanza. Phlebotominae collected in the region, previously or simultaneously to the outbreak (September 1993-Decemher 1998) showed that the species Lutzomyia int...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Salomón, Oscar D., Rossi, Gustavo Carlos, Spinelli, Gustavo Ricardo
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2002
Country:Argentina
Institution:Universidad Nacional de La Plata
Repository:SEDICI (UNLP)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:sedici.unlp.edu.ar:10915/37662
Online Access:http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/37662
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Ciencias Naturales
Argentina
Leishmaniasis
classification
Lutzomyia intermedia
disease carrier
ecosystem
Lutzomyia whitmani
epidemic
vector ecology
physiology
skin leishmaniasis
Description
Summary:The first epidemic tegumentary leishmaniasis ' outbreak in the province of Misiones was recorded in 1998, in the locality of Puerto Esperanza. Phlebotominae collected in the region, previously or simultaneously to the outbreak (September 1993-Decemher 1998) showed that the species Lutzomyia intermedia s. 1. was prevalent (94%, n 6,150) at all the sites sampled with miniature light trap (10) and Shannon trap (3). <i>L. pessoai</i>, <i>L. whitmani</i>, <i>L. migonei</i>, <i>L. shannoni</i>, <i>L. fischeri</i>, <i>L. misionensis</i>, <i>Brumptomyia avellari</i> and <i>B. guimaraesi</i> were also captured. Sand fly distribution in time and space suggests that in the province of Misiones (1) the species already present before 1990 could give rise to the epidemic by the density/dispersion fluctuation of their local populations; (2) the abundance of <i>L. intermedia s. 1.</i> was associated with environments with ecotones of primary-secondary vegetation, close to water bodies and with moderate human disturbance; (3) this species showed, towards the end of 1997, peaks of exceptional abundance, subsequent to rainfall peaks in 1996. This increase in abundance of potential vector sand fly populations close to houses with colonizable surroundings could have generated the 1998 epidemic outbreak.