A one health approach to leishmaniasis in a slum: another piece of a global scenario.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe vector-borne and zoonotic disease transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. In the New World, is caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum, having a great burden on human and animal health. Besides, environmental, and socioeconomic factors are significantly associated with the epidemiological pattern of the disease. VL continues to expand worldwide and in Brazil this situation is no different, reaching territories where it did not occur before, especially among marginalized populations in peri-urban areas. From a one health perspective, this paper details the first environmental health survey in one of the Brazilian marginalized communities, considered a new focus of VL.METHODS: In a qualitative approach, we combine entomological collections, records, and field observations to provide a comprehensive assessment of environmental conditions. RESULTS: The results highlight the need for monitoring the sand fly species found, as well as further studies for the real delimitation of their roles in the transmission of Le. infantum. The findings also suggest that bad housing conditions, lack of sanitation and the presence of arthropod vectors were associated with the occurrence of VL. Yet, we argue that many of the results found are quite similar across regions, and that the findings are not just a regional report but can reflect the reality of different parts of Brazil and the world.CONCLUSION: A one health approach is essential to truly face VL, addressing the health risks at the animal–human–ecosystems interface, without ignoring the social context involved. DESCRIPTORS: One health, Environmental health, Neglected tropical diseases, Health inequalities, Leishmaniasis, Vectors, Sand flies.

Detection of multiple circulating sandflies species and investigation of dogs and vectors naturally infected with Leishmania in the city of Ribeirão Vermelho, southeastern Brazil

“…Although it is considered the main transmitting species of L. infantum in the Americas, in some regions, positive human and dog cases have been verified in areas without L. longipalpis, as is the case in Jaciara, Mato Grosso, where the species L. cruzi seems to be mainly responsible for cycle transmission (Missawa et al 2011), and in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, where L. cruzi was identified as a vector of L. infantum (Oliveira et al 2016). In addition, there is strong evidence that other species, such as Migonemyia migonei (França, 1920), Pintomyia fischeri (Pinto, 1926), Lutzomyia gaminarai (Cordero et al 1928) and Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), play a role in the transmission of L. infantum in some areas (Carvalho et al 2010, Saraiva et al 2010, Brasil 2014, Moya et al 2015, Galvis-Ovallos et al 2017, Castro et al 2019, 2020, Galvis-Ovallos et al 2021, Milagres et al 2022.…”