Abstract
Leishmaniases are a group of infectious diseases transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, and their distribution depends on the presence of vectors, parasites, reservoirs and susceptible hosts in the same environment. In the last decades, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has become urbanized and reached economically important cities in countries within the transmission zone. Our study was conducted in one of those cities–Ipatinga–in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where the first autochthonous case of VL dates back to 2011. Since no data regarding the epidemiological triad of VL (etiological agent/vector/domestic reservoir) were available for this city, we characterized the local entomological fauna, identified the presence of specific Leishmania DNA in the captured phlebotomine sand flies, and assessed the incidence of canine and human VL. For the entomological survey, we set twenty light traps in ten districts of the city with reports of human and canine VL. The insect captures were performed monthly, during one year, starting in March 2015. A total of 1501 specimens of phlebotomine sand flies belonging to 16 distinct species were captured, with predominance (61.9%) of Lutzomyia longipalpis. Leishmania infantum DNA was detected in L. longipalpis and in Evandromyia cortelezzii test samples. A total of 9,136 dogs were examined, 1,355 of which (14.8%) were serologically positive for VL. The cases were georeferenced and the data were plotted in thematic maps, along with human cases of VL registered by the local Department of Health, during the study period. Our results confirm that the VL transmission cycle is active in Ipatinga, with the presence of vectors carrying Leishmania DNA, canine and human cases of the disease. Spatial analysis allowed for the observation of a positive relationship between canine and human cases of VL and the identification of areas with high priority for control actions in the city. The mapping of high-risk areas, together with an epidemiological study in urban areas, is fundamental to improve the efficacy of the Program for Surveillance and Control of VL (PSCVL) in Brazil.
Highlights
Leishmaniases are a group of infectious diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania Ross, 1903, and transmitted by the haematophagous Diptera from the family Psychodidae and subfamily Phlebotominae, the phlebotomine sand flies [1]
In this study we characterized the local entomological fauna, we identified the presence of Leishmania in the captured phlebotomine sand flies, and we evaluated the prevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis providing the first data on the VL epidemiological triad for Ipatinga
Relative percentages of females belonging to the three predominant species followed the same decreasing order observed for both genders: 49.5% for L. longipalpis, 32.2% for E. cortelezzii, and 12.1% for E. lenti
Summary
Leishmaniases are a group of infectious diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania Ross, 1903, and transmitted by the haematophagous Diptera from the family Psychodidae and subfamily Phlebotominae, the phlebotomine sand flies [1]. In the New World, two basic clinical forms of leishmaniases are described: tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL). VL is the most severe form of the disease in humans and is fatal if left untreated. VL cases, as well as TL cases, are mandatorily reported to the Brazilian Ministry of Health through the National System of Notifiable Diseases (named SINAN). Over the decades, it became urbanized due to several factors, such as deforestation, which reduced the availability of animals that served as a source of food for the vector, and the migratory process, which brought human and canine populations from rural areas, where the disease was endemic, to the periphery of cities [5,6,7,8,9]
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