Abstract
BackgroundAlthough leishmaniases are regarded as serious public health issues in the State of Tocantins, as consequence of the impact of environmental changes, small advances in taxonomic and ecological studies of Phlebotominae fauna are taking place in this state. The present study aimed to improve the knowledge about the sand flies, as well as about the aspects of the bioecology of leishmaniases vectors from Porto Nacional, a city that was directly impacted by the construction of Luís Eduardo Magalhães Hydroelectric Plant (HEP – Lajeado).Methodology/Principal FindingsSand flies were collected monthly using CDC light traps and Shannon traps for a period of 40 consecutive months, at different monitoring stations, where 7162 specimens were collected and 48 species were detected. Among the species found, 22 are first records in the state and seven are considered important vectors of leishmaniases. Lutzomyia longipalpis, the vector of American Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) showed higher frequency in urban compared to rural areas, and Nyssomyia whitmani, the vector of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL), predominated in rural areas. The frequency and habits of sand fly vectors are discussed considering environmental characteristics and climatic factors.Conclusions/SignificanceThe construction of dams requires a great amount of labor, therefore attracting people from elsewhere. Increased migration, without adequate structure, leads to bad living conditions in new and unplanned settlements. It also leads to deforestation associated with environmental impacts, which can facilitate the spread of leishmaniases.This study discusses the importance of Lu. longipalpis and Ny. whitmani on the transmission cycles of leishmaniases in Porto Nacional and the record of Bi. flaviscutellata in periurban area of the city.
Highlights
Leishmaniases are serious public health issues in Brazil
Twenty-two species did not occur in urban areas: Lutzomyia sherlocki, Lu gomezi, Sciopemyia microps, Evandromyia. sallesi, Ev. bacula, Ev. walkeri, Ev. begonae, Ev. pinottii, Ev. brachyphala, Viannamyia furcata, Psathyromyia dasymera, Pa. pascalei, Pa. brasiliensis, Trichopygomyia dasypodogeton, Nyssomyia intermedia, Ny. richardwardi, Martinsmyia oliveirai, Mt. minasensis, Mi. quinquefer, Mi. rorotaensis, Pintomyia misionensis e Mi. acanthopharynx (Table S2)
A growth in the number of unplanned settlements and deforestation, associated with other environmental impacts, may be observed. Those factors can facilitate the spread of leshmaniases. Another consequence of this context might be the establishment of the enzootic cycle in domiciliary areas, which could mean that these environmental changes cause the expansion of leshmaniases through closer contact between man and the disease’s vector
Summary
Leishmaniases are serious public health issues in Brazil. American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) has been recorded in all states and is undergoing territorial expansion, revealing changes in its epidemiological profile [1]. Porto Nacional is a city located in the area of direct influence of HEP Lajeado. The construction of this hydroeletric plant had significant environmental impacts after dam building, mainly related to deep changes in vegetation and to the building of new houses, without prior planning. Leishmaniases are regarded as serious public health issues in the State of Tocantins, as consequence of the impact of environmental changes, small advances in taxonomic and ecological studies of Phlebotominae fauna are taking place in this state. The present study aimed to improve the knowledge about the sand flies, as well as about the aspects of the bioecology of leishmaniases vectors from Porto Nacional, a city that was directly impacted by the construction of Luıs Eduardo Magalhaes Hydroelectric Plant (HEP – Lajeado)
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