Abstract
An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil. The ecological aspects of the phlebotomine fauna were investigated. Sandflies were sampled with automatic light traps from February 2004 to June 2006 at 25 sites in the urban and rural areas of Itambaracá, and in Porto Almeida and São Joaquim do Pontal. A total of 3,187 sandflies of 15 species were captured. Nyssomyia neivai predominated (34.4%), followed by Pintomyia pessoai (32.6%), Migonemyia migonei (11.6%), Nyssomyia whitmani (8.8%), and Pintomyia fischeri (2.7%), all implicated in the transmission of Leishmania. Males predominated for Ny. neivai, and females for the other vector species, with significant statistical differences (p < 0.001). Nyssomyia neivai, Pi. pessoai, Ny. whitmani, Brumptomyia brumpti, Mg. migonei, and Pi. fischeri presented the highest values for the Standardized Species Abundance Index (SSAI). The highest frequencies and diversities were found in the preserved forest in Porto Almeida, followed by forests with degradation in São Joaquim do Pontal and Vila Rural. Sandflies were captured in all localities, with the five vectors predominating. Ny. neivai had its highest frequencies in nearby peridomestic environments and Pi. pessoai in areas of preserved forests. The highest SSAI values of Ny. neivai and Pi. pessoai reflect their wider dispersion and higher frequencies compared with other species, which seems to indicate that these two species may be transmitting leishmaniasis in the area.
Highlights
An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil
The State of Paraná has been presenting a gradual increase in the number of municipalities with cases of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), accounting for 98% of the cases in Southern Brazil in 2000
At the 25 sites sampled in the three localities, i.e., São Joaquim do Pontal, Porto Almeida, and Itambaracá town, 3,187 sandflies were captured, 46.2% of which males and 53.7% were females, belonging to 15 species, distributed in 4 subtribes: Brumptomyiina - Brumptomyia brumpti (Larrousse), Brumptomyia cunhai (Mangabeira), and Brumptomyia nitzulescui (Costa Lima); Lutzomyiina - Evandromyia bacula (Martins, Falcão & Silva), Evandromyia cortellezzii (Brèthes), Expapillata firmatoi (Barretto, Martins & Pellegrino), Migonemyia migonei (França), Pintomyia fischeri (Pinto), Pintomyia pessoai (Coutinho & Barretto), and Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte); Psychodopygina - Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto), Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho), Psathyromyia aragaoi (Costa Lima), and Psathyromyia abonnenci (Floch & Chassignet); and Sergentomyiina Micropygomyia ferreirana (Barretto, Martins & Pellegrino)
Summary
An epidemiological study was undertaken to identify determinant factors in the occurrence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in areas under the influence of hydroelectric plants in Paranapanema river, State of Paraná, Brazil. The State of Paraná has been presenting a gradual increase in the number of municipalities with cases of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), accounting for 98% of the cases in Southern Brazil in 2000. Part of this increase, may be due to the improvement in the process of notification of the disease[1]. The increase in ACL cases has been related to the deforestation of primary forests, leading to environmental changes and imbalances, or to haphazard urbanization and the construction of dams and hydroelectric plants Under such circumstances the exposure of humans to the bite of sandfly vectors of Leishmania spp., whose natural habitats are still closely dependent on forests, has certainly increased[5]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
