Natural breeding places of phlebotomine sandflies

Abstract

Abstract. Methods of finding larvae and pupae of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) are described and the known types of breeding sites used by sandflies are listed. Three ways of detecting sandfly breeding places are the use of emergence traps placed over potential sources to catch newly emerged adult sandflies; flotation of larvae and pupae from soil, etc., and desiccation of media to drive out the larvae. Even so, remarkably little information is available on the ecology of the developmental stages of sandflies, despite their importance as vectors of Leishmania, Bartonella and phleboviruses affecting humans and other vertebrates in warmers parts of the world. Regarding the proven or suspected vectors of leishmaniases, information on breeding sites is available for only 15 out of 29 species of sandflies involved in the Old World and 12 out of 44 species of sandflies involved in the Americas, representing $3% of the known species of Phlebotominae.Ecotopes occupied by immature phlebotomines are usually organically rich moist soils, such as the rain forest floor (Lutzomyia intermedia, Lu. umbratilis, Lu. whitmani in the Amazon; Lu. gomezi, Lu. panamensis, Lu. trapidoi in Panama), or contaminated soil of animal shelters (Lu. longipalpis s.l. in South America, Phlebotomus argentipes in India; P. chinensis in China; P. ariasi, P. perfiliewi, P. perniciosus in Europe). Developmental stages of some species (P. langeroni and P. martini in Africa; P. papatasi in Eurasia; Lu. longipalpis s.l. in South America), have been found in a wide range of ecotopes, and many species of sandflies employ rodent burrows as breeding sites, although the importance of this niche is unclear. Larvae of some phlebotomines have been found in what appear to be specialized niches such as Lu. ovallesi on buttress roots of trees in Panama; P. celiae in termite hills in Kenya; P. longipes and P. pedifer in caves and among rocks in East Africa. Old World species found as immatures in the earthen floor of human habitations include P. argentipes, P. chinensis, P. martini and P. papatasi. Much more information on sandfly breeding sites is required to facilitate their control by source reduction.

Dificuldades na execução das diretrizes do Programa de Vigilância e Controle da Leishmaniose Visceral em grandes municípios brasileiros

“…Sendo assim, no contexto epidemiológico de Campinas e Goiânia preconiza-se a eliminação canina sem a eliminação do inseto adulto. Ou seja, apesar do ciclo de transmissão da doença só ser mantido diante da presença do vetor, as medidas são centralizadas no controle do reservatório canino 38 . Estudos enfocando a estratégia de eliminação canina têm oferecido resultados conflitantes quando esta é utilizada separadamente do controle vetorial 22 , uma vez que a infecção de cães pode preceder a infecção humana e as chances são maiores em áreas com altas taxas de prevalência da infecção canina e presença do vetor 7 .…”

“…Além de difícil, estudos mostram que não há evidências de que o manejo ambiental tenha impacto nas fases imaturas do inseto, já que são pouco conhecidos os locais de procriação natural e de descanso diurno dos flebotomíneos 38 . Por esse fato, o controle do inseto é dependente do combate aos insetos adultos 39 .…”

Epidemiology of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Tunisia

“…In fact, sand flies have adaptations to help them live in thermal preference conditions. They spend most of their lives in protected refuges, such as rodents burrows, animal shelters, wells, cracks and crevices in walls and floors [35,36], to avoid prolonged exposure to extreme weather events.…”

Identification of the natural breeding sites of sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), potential vectors of leishmaniasis, in the province of Chaco, Argentina

“…The supernatant was distributed on Petri dishes to look for eggs, larvae, pupae or exuviae. The material selected was preserved in 70% alcohol (Feliciangeli 2004).…”