Development of the BG-Malaria trap as an alternative to human-landing catches for the capture of Anopheles darlingi

Although the human-landing catch (HLC) method is the most effective for collecting anthropophilic anophelines, it has been increasingly abandoned, primarily for ethical considerations. The objective of the present study was to develop a new trap for the collection of Anopheles darlingi . The initial trials were conducted using the BG-Sentinel trap as a standard for further trap development based on colour, airflow direction and illumination. The performance of the trap was then compared with those of the CDC, Fay-Prince, counterflow geometry trap (CFG) and HLC. All trials were conducted outdoors between 06:00 pm-08:00 pm. Female specimens of An. darlingi were dissected to determine their parity. A total of 8,334 anophelines were captured, of which 4,945 were identified as An. darlingi . The best trap configuration was an all-white version, with an upward airflow and no required light source. This configuration was subsequently named BG-Malaria (BGM). The BGM captured significantly more anophelines than any of the other traps tested and was similar to HLC with respect to the number and parity of anophelines. The BGM trap can be used as an alternative to HLC for collecting anophelines.

Fauna of Culicidae in rural areas of Porto Velho and the first record of Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola (Coquillet, 1906), for the state of Rondônia, Brazil / Fauna de Culicidae em áreas rurais de Porto Velho e primeiro registro de Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola (Coquillet, 1906), para o estado de Rondônia, Brasil

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge concerning the fauna of Culicidae in the Brazilian Amazon States contributes to current understanding of the bionomics of the insects collected and makes it possible to observe changes in the fauna over time. METHODS: The Culicidae were captured with a BG-Sentinel® trap in extra-domiciliary area of two rural regions of Porto Velho in June and July of 2007 and 2008. RESULTS: A total of 10,695 Culicidae was collected, belonging to nine genera: Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Psorophora, Aedes, Aedeomyia, Anopheles, Uranotaenia and Wyeomyia. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola was recorded in the State of Rondônia for the first time.

INTRODUÇÃO: O conhecimento da fauna de culicídeos em estados da Amazônia Brasileira auxilia no conhecimento da bionomia dos insetos obtidos, além de possibilitar a observação de modificações da fauna ao decorrer do tempo. MÉTODOS: As capturas dos culicídeos foram realizadas em área extradomiciliar de duas zonas rurais de Porto Velho, durante junho e julho, nos anos de 2007 e 2008, com a armadilha BG-Sentinel®. RESULTADOs: Foram coletados 10.695 culicídeos, distribuídos em nove gêneros: Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Psorophora, Aedes, Aedeomyia, Anopheles, Uranotaenia e Wyeomyia. CONCLUSÕES: Foi registrada pela primeira vez no estado a presença de Mansonia (Mansonia) flaveola.

Distribution of phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) across an urban-rural gradient in an area of endemic visceral leishmaniasis in northern Brazil

The number of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases has increased over the past 10 years in Brazil, especially in the North and Northeast regions of the country. The aim of this study was to evaluate the urbanisation of VL vectors in Barcarena, Pará, an area in northern Brazil where VL is endemic. Sandflies were captured using Centers for Disease Control (CDC) light traps along an urban-rural gradient. The CDC traps were installed inside hen houses at a height of 150 cm. A total of 5,089 sandflies were collected and 11 species were identified. The predominant species was Lutzomyia longipalpis (rate of 95.15 percent), which suggests its participation in the transmission of VL. A total of 1,451 Lu. longipalpis females were dissected and no Leishmania infections were detected. Most of the sandflies were captured at the border of a forest (88.25 percent) and no flies were captured in the urban area, which suggests that transmission is still restricted to rural sites. However, the fact that a specimen was collected in an intermediate area indicates that urbanisation is a real possibility and that vector monitoring is important.

Avaliação da operacionalidade da armadilha MosquiTRAP no monitoramento de Aedes aegypti / Operational evaluation of a sticky trap in the monitoring of Aedes aegypti

Objetivo: avaliar a capacidade dos agentes de saúde para identificar corretamente os mosquitos capturados pela MosquiTRAP e comparar o tempo gasto na pesquisa larvária, ovitrampa e MosquiTRAP. Metodologia: aspectos operacionais do monitoramento de Aedes aegypti foram avaliados em doze municípios das cinco regiões geográficas do Brasil. Resultados: o tempo gasto pelos agentes de saúde na vistoria da MosquiTRAP foi semelhante ao da ovitrampa (8,0 e 6,8 min., respectivamente) e ambos foram inferiores a pesquisa larvária (24,8 min.). Os agentes de saúde identificaram A. aegypti (mínimo de 97,4 por cento de acerto) e Aedes albopictus (100 por cento de acerto) em cinco dos seis municípios onde esta espécie foi registrada. O índice de pendência da MosquiTRAP em todos os municípios variou entre 0,20 por cento e 4,43 por cento. Conclusão: os resultados indicam que a ovitrampa e MosquiTRAP apresentaram vantagens em relação a pesquisa larvária com redução do tempo de vistoria das casas, implicando uma redução de custos.

Objectives: to assess the capacity of health workers to correctly identify mosquitoes captured by MosquiTRAP, and to compare the time spent on larval survey, egg trap (ovitrap) and MosquiTRAP. Methodology: operational aspects of monitoring of the Aedes aegypti were assessed in twelve municipalities in five geographic regions of Brazil. Results: time spent by health workers to inspect the MosquiTRAP was similar to ovitrap (8.0 and 6.8 minutes, respectively) and both took less than larval survey (24.8 minutes). Health workers identified A. aegypti (minimum of 97.4 percent hit) and A. albopictus (100 percent hit) in five of the six municipalities where this species was recorded. MosquiTRAP pendency index in all municipalities varied from 0.20 percent to 4.43 percent. Conclusion: results indicate that ovitrap and MosquiTRAP have advantages over larval survey in terms of reduced time spent at residences, implying cost reduction.