Journal of Tropical Medicine
Volume 2012, Article ID 124068, 5 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/124068
Natural Breeding Places for Phlebotomine Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a Semiarid Region of Bahia State, Brazil
1Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz/FIOCRUZ, 40295-001, Salvador, BA, Brazil
2Faculdade de Medicina da Bahia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40025-010, Salvador, BA, Brazil
3Instituto de Investigação em Imunologia, Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia, Ciencia e Tecnologia (INCT), 05403-900 Cerqueira Cesar, SP, Brazil
Received 21 August 2011; Revised 29 October 2011; Accepted 5 December 2011
Academic Editor: Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao
Copyright © 2012 Bruno Sangiorgi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Few microhabitats have been previously identified as natural breeding places for phlebotomine sand flies so far, and little is known about the influence of climate variables in their density. The present study was conducted in a dry region with a semiarid climate, where visceral leishmaniasis occurs in humans and dogs. The occurrence of breeding places in specific microhabitats was investigated in soil samples collected from five houses, which were also the location used for sampling of adults. All the microhabitats sampled by our study were identified as natural breeding places due to the occurrence of immature forms of sand flies. On a weekly basis, the number of adult sand flies captured was positively correlated with the mean temperature from preceding weeks. These results, in addition to promoting an advance in the knowledge of sand flies biology, may furnish a tool for optimizing the control of the sand flies, by indicating the most suitable periods and microhabitats for the application of insecticides.