Clinical Findings Associated with Ornithodoros brasiliensis Tick Parasitism in Travelers, Southern Brazil.

We report a series of clinical cases associated with parasitism by the Ornithodoros brasiliensis tick in a group of travelers in the Caxias do Sul municipality, Southern Brazil. These cases draw attention to underdiagnosed noninfectious syndromes caused by ticks with restricted local distributions.

Description of the male of Evandromyia gaucha Andrade Filho, Souza, Falcão (Psychodidae, Phlebotominae)

Here, we present the description of male of the sand fly species Evandromyia gaucha. Six male specimens of E. gaucha, together with conspecific females, were collected in native forest areas of the municipalities of Porto Alegre, Caçapava do Sul (type locality of E. gaucha) and Santa Cruz do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. The specimens are distinguished from other species of the rupicola series of the genus Evandromyia by the presence of dilatation in the apical quarter of the genital filaments followed by tapering of the final portion.

Lutzomyia (Pintomyia) fischeri (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae), a probable vector of American cutaneous leishmaniasis: detection of natural infection by Leishmania (Viannia) DNA in specimens from the municipality of Porto Alegre (RS), Brazil, using multiplex PCR assay.

In order to determine natural Leishmania (Viannia) infection in Lutzomyia (Pintomyia) fischeri, a multiplex PCR methodology coupled to non-isotopic hybridization was adopted for the analysis of sand fly samples collected by CDC light traps in an endemic area of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) in the periurban region of the municipality of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. We analyzed by PCR methodology 560 specimens of Lutzomyia (Pintomyia) fischeri (520 females and 40 males). The wild sand flies were grouped into 56 pools (52 females and 4 males) of 10 each, and positive results were detected in 2 of the 52 female pools, representing a minimum infection rate of 0.38% based on the presence of at least 1 infected insect in the pool. This result associated with some local evidence such as anthopophily, spatial distribution in accordance with the transmission area and human case incidence, suggests that L. (P.)fischeri may be considered as a secondary vector of ACL in the studied locality.

First report of Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) naturally infected by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in a periurban area of south Brazil using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay.

To identify Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) neivai naturally infected by Leishmania a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the analysis of 450 specimens (270 females, 180 males) collected in an endemic periurban area of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Insects were grouped into pools of 10 and positive results were achieved in 3/27 Lu. (N.) neivai female pools. Infection by L. (Viannia) braziliensis was confirmed after hybridizing PCR products with a subgenus-specific biotinylated probe. Considering the detection of three positive pools with at least one infected insect in each, an infection rate of 1.1% was estimated. Our results associated with epidemiologic data suggest a potential ability of Lu. (N.) neivai in transmitting L. braziliensis in Porto Alegre, where the first notifications of autochthonous cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans occurred in 2002, with an increase in the number of cases in recent years possibly as a consequence of deforestation and agricultural activities in the area.