Background: Hydropower plants provide more than 78 % of Brazil's electricity generation, but the country's reservoirs are potential new habitats for main vectors of malaria. In a case study in the surroundings of the Manso hydropower plant in Mato Grosso state, Central Brazil, habitat suitability of Anopheles darlingi was studied. Habitat profile was characterized by collecting environmental data. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were applied to extract additional spatial layers of land use, distance maps, and relief characteristics for spatial model building.

A dengue é considerada como uma das mais importantes arbovirose que afeta o homem e constitui um sério problema de saúde pública no mundo, especialmente nos países tropicais, onde as condições ambientais principalmente a temperatura, a precipitação, além da umidade relativa, velocidade do vento, Monitoramento do mosquito ABSTRACTTDengue is one of the most important arboviruses affecting man and is a serious health problem in tropical areas where climatic conditions are favorable for occurrences of foci of Aedes aegypti. Oviposition traps with added hay infusion were installed at 19 points on the campus of the Federal University of Mato Grosso with the objective of investigating the monthly levels of infestation with the dengue vector and the influence of abiotic factors. The results obtained were compared with the following monthly abiotic data: temperature, relative air humidity and precipitation; and with the number of days for which the traps remained in the field. Rain was the only abiotic factor that influenced the level of infestation of the dengue vector at this location. There were significant differences between the quantities of Aedes aegypti eggs found at different sites within the same study area. The numbers of eggs found at each site over the year did not follow a single distribution pattern.

Vertical transmission to progeny ensures the maintenance of arboviruses in their natural vectors. This mechanism is largely reported for dengue virus (DENV) and yellow fever virus (YFV). Few studies have addressed this mechanism for Zika virus (ZIKV), Mayaro virus (MAYV) and other arboviruses. The present study investigated the natural infection rate by arboviruses in 4490 Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and 296 Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) reared from eggs collected with ovitraps in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso State, from February to July, 2017. After viral RNA extraction and reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction protocols for 10 flaviviruses and five alphaviruses, nucleotide sequencing and three passages in C6/36 cells, eight pools of Ae. aegypti positive for DENV‐4 genotype II, seven for ZIKV Asian genotype and two for MAYV genotype L were found. In addition, two Ae. albopictus pools were positive for DENV‐4 genotype II and two were positive for ZIKV Asian genotype. Infection was confirmed by viral isolation in all positive pools for DENV‐4 and for MAYV and in eight of nine for ZIKV. This mechanism may contribute to the spread of arboviruses during epidemics and also to their maintenance in natural vectors during interepidemic periods.

ABSTRACT. Temporal distribution of Aedes aegypti Linnaeus (Diptera, Culicidae), in a Hospital in Cuiabá, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This study aimed at registering and monitoring the presence of Aedes aegypti in the University Hospital Júlio Muller, Cuiabá-MT, as well as investigating the influence of temperature and rainfall on its temporal distribution and egg densities in ovitraps. The study was performed from April/2007 to March/2008, utilizing ovitraps with 10% of hay infusion and a wood paddle as an oviposition substrate. For surveillance, one ovitrap was placed in each of the 12 points distributed throughout the hospital. Ovitraps were collected monthly at the end of a 5-day installation period. After egg counting, wood paddles were immersed in water to allow larval eclosion for species identification through optical microscopy. Egg Density Index (EDI), Positive Ovitraps Index (POI), and Mean Number of Eggs (MNE) were used for data analysis. The presence of A. aegypti in the hospital was registered throughout the study period, except in July. The MNE was proportionally higher in the internal area (n= 8.47 eggs/paddle) when compared to the external area (n= 5.46 eggs/paddle), and was higher in September/October 2007 and January/February 2008. A significant increase in EDI, POI and MNE was registered in periods where the average temperature was higher, and the increase in POI was also concomitant with an increase in rainfall. The continuous presence of A. aegypti in the hospital throughout the study period, points out the need of including this mosquito in the arthropod control list in this environment. This is particularly important, considering that A. aegypti is an important vector of several arboviroses.

Introduction: American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has been reported in every municipality of the State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, but the transmission epidemiology remains poorly understood. Our study was developed in a rural area of the Nova Mutum municipality where four autochthonous cases of ACL were reported in 2009. Our aims were to describe the local phlebotomine sandfl y fauna and to investigate the infection rates and infecting Leishmania species in the captured sandfl ies. Methods: Entomological captures were performed bimonthly at 10 fi xed sites close to the edge of a forested area between June 2011 and April 2012. Results: A total of 3,743 phlebotomine sandfl ies belonging to 31 distinct species were captured. Approximately 75% of the specimens were females. The most abundant species (45.4%) was Lutzomyia antunesi, which was consistently captured at every site. Species that are epidemiologically important for ACL, such as L. fl aviscutellata, L. whitmani and L. umbratilis, were also captured. L. antunesi and L. ubiquitalis were naturally infected by Leishmania braziliensis or Le. guyanensis, with minimum infection rates of 0.88% and 6.67%, respectively. Surprisingly, L. antunesi was infected by Le. infantum (synonym chagasi). Conclusions: The natural infection of L. antunesi and L. ubiquitalis by Leishmania sp. suggests that these species might play a role in the zoonotic cycle of ACL in Nova Mutum. The presence of Le. infantum in L. antunesi suggests that there may be a risk of an outbreak of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Nova Mutum.