Abstract
The aim of this work was to identify the natural breeding sites of sandflies in the province of Chaco, Argentina, for the first time. Preliminary studies were conducted in two different phytogeographic regions: dry Chaco (Parque Provincial Pampa del Indio), in January 2010, and humid Chaco (Resistencia, Margarita Belén and Colonia Benítez), from May-September 2010. A total of 127 samples were collected (Pampa del Indio: 15, Resistencia: 37, Margarita Belén: 36, Colonia Benítez: 39). A female of Migonemyia migonei was found in Pampa del Indio at the base of a bromeliad in the summer (January) and a pupal exuvium of a phlebotomine fly was found in Resistencia, in a place where dogs rested, in the winter (July). These findings highlighted these two sites as potential breeding sites. Because the existence of potential natural breeding sites for sandflies has been demonstrated in both forest and periurban areas, expanding the search efforts and characterising these sites will enable the development of specific study designs to gain insight into the spatial distribution of the risks posed by these vectors. The resulting information will serve as a basis for proposing and evaluating vector control measures.
Highlights
Eco-epidemiological studies related to leishmaniasis generally focus on the abundance and diversity of adults and their role as vectors, but little is known about the sites preferred by the different life history stages of the vector under natural conditions
This study included the Parque Provincial Pampa del Indio (26o02’S 59o56’W), which belongs to the dry Chaco phytogeographic region (January 2010), and the city of Resistencia (27o26’S 58o55’W) and the villages of Margarita Belén (27o16’S 59o00’W) and Colonia Benítez (27o17’S 58o56’W), which belong to the humid Chaco (May-September 2010)
We found two positive sites, representing potential natural breeding sites for Phlebotominae: the base of a bromeliad in Pampa del Indio in January, distinguished by the emergence of a female of Migonemyia migonei, and a resting place for dogs in Resistencia in July, distinguished by the presence of a pupal exuvium of a phlebotomine fly
Summary
Eco-epidemiological studies related to leishmaniasis generally focus on the abundance and diversity of adults and their role as vectors, but little is known about the sites preferred by the different life history stages of the vector under natural conditions. In Argentina, no previous studies have been conducted to identify the natural breeding sites of Phlebotominae. In the three sampling stations in the humid Chaco, three environments were selected: domestic, peridomestic and extra-domestic.
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