The presence of Lutzomyia longipalpis in a focus of American visceral leishmaniasis where the only proven vector is Lutzomyia cruzi. Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul State

The present communication reports the presence of Lutzomyia longipalpis in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, where the principal vector is Lutzomyia cruzi

Field monitoring of Cypermethrin residual effect on the mortality rates of the phlebotomine sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis in the State of Paraíba, Brazil

In a visceral leishmaniasis endemic locality of northeast of Brazil where all settlements were treated with cypermethrin, a follow-up of Lutzomyia longipalpis populations was carried out by regular collections. The residual effect of the inseticide was studied using biological assays on three different types of walls. The results showed that the inseticides had an effect on intradomiciliar Lu. longipalpis populations limited to two months, and had no significant effect on peridomiciliar vector populations. The mortality rates of the tested sandflies were variable according to the type of wall. The decreasing of the inseticide effect was marked since the 3rd month, and mortality rates were identical whatever the type of wall since the 4th month. Unsufficient residual effect was detected after the 4th month.

Encuesta epidemiologica de histoplasmosis, paracoccidioidomicosis y leishmaniasis mediante pruebas cutaneas / Epidemiological survey of histoplasmosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, and leishmaniasis based on skin tests

In a village in Brazil's Amazonian jungle, skin test with histoplasmin, paracoccidioidin, and leishmanin were given to a group of 400 subjects aged 10 and older, of both sexes, who also responded to a questionnaire on their history of infectious diseases, There was a high prevalence of positive results in the three tests. The pattern of the results supports the hypothesis that testing with two mycotic antigens does not produce cross-reactions in asymptomatic subjects and that the sources of exposure to the fungi are probably independent. The positive reaction to leishmanin in males was related to farming activities, hunting, fishing, and the collection of firewood; the reactions in females showed a limited correlation with fishing and a much stronger one with the collection of firewood. With the mycotic antigens, the positive reactions were no associated with any of these activities. There was a high correlation of results using a leishmanin obtained from Leishmania Mexicana amazonensis and a combined leishmanin obtained from Leishmania mexicana and Leishmania brasiliensis. The diameter of induration was generally larger for the latter of these antigens, which induced some very intense responses. The frequency distribution of the magnitude of reaction was heterogeneous in subjects with positive reactions to both leishmanin and paracoccidioidin. Evidence that these findings are consistent with

Observaciones sobre el parasito leishmania mexicana amazonensis y la infeccion natural que provoca en el flebotomo lutzomyia olmeca nociva / Observations on the parasite leishmania mexicana amazonensis and its natural infection of the sand fly lutzomyia olmeca nociva

In 1984 the authors began a search for vectors of the Leishmania mexicana amazonensis parasite in the Brazilian Amazon city of Manaus by capturing phlebotomines (sandflies) at two periurban collection sites and seeking to isolate the parasite from them. One collection site yielded no positive specimens, but the older yielded 10 sandflies infected with Le m. amazonensis. Six of the positive specimens belonged to the sandfly species Lutzomyia flaviscutellata, and four belonged to the species Lu. olmeca nociva. This is the first time that the latter species has been incriminated as a possible vector of Le. m. amazonensis and the first record of Lu. flaviscutellata being infected with this parasite outside of Para State. The capture of infected phlebotomines at one site but no at another similar nearby site is reminiscent of previous results reported by Lainson and Shaw. Whether or not these results indicate the existence of discrete transmission foci is still unclear