Malaria vectors in the municipality of Serra do Navio, State of Amapá, Amazon Region, Brazil

We conducted a survey to determine the vectors of malaria in six localities of Serra do Navio municipality, State of Amapá, from 1990 to 1991. Malaria infection rates of 29.3%, 6.2% and 20.4% were detected by human blood smears in Colônia Água Branca, Porto Terezinha and Arrependido, respectively. There was no malaria infection detected in Serra do Navio. Fifteen species were identified among 3,053 anopheline mosquitoes collected by human bait and 64.4% were identified as Anopheles albitarsis s.l., 16.7% An. braziliensis, 9.5% An. nuneztovari and 5.8% An. triannulatus. An. darlingi, the main vector of malaria in the Amazon region of Brazil, was scare. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a total positive rate of 0.8% (23/2876) was found for six species: fifteen An. albitarsis s.l., four An. nuneztovari, and one of each: An. braziliensis, An. triannulatus, An. oswaldoi and An. rangeli. Nine of 23 positive mosquitoes were infected with Plasmodium malariae, eight with P. vivax VK210, three with P. vivax VK247 and three with P. falciparum. Since An. albitarsis s.l. was collected feeding on humans, was present in the highest density and was positive by ELISA for malaria sporozoites, it probably plays an important role in malaria transmission in this area.

Small todents fleas from the bubonic plague focus located in the Serra dos Órgãos Mountain Range, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Eleven species of fleas were collected from 601 small rodents, from November 1995 to October 1997, in areas of natural focus of bubonic plague, including the municipalities of Nova Friburgo, Sumidouro and Teresópolis, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Among 924 fleas collected, Polygenis (Polygenis) rimatus (Rhopalopsyllidae) was the predominant species regarding the frequency, representing 41.3% (N:382), followed by P. (Neopolygenis) pradoi, representing 20% (N:185) and Craneopsylla minervaminerva (Stephanocircidae), representing 18.9% (N:175). The host Akodon cursor harbored 47.9% of these fleas. Other six host species were infested by 52.1% of the remaining fleas. Fleas were found on hosts and in places within the focus not previously reported by the literature.

Susceptibility of Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) from Serra da Mesa Dam, Goiás, Brazil to infection with three strains of Schistosoma mansoni Sambon, 1907

Ecological changes from water resources development projects often affect the epidemiology of water-associated diseases. In order to investigate the occurrence and distribution of freshwater snails of medical and veterinary importance in the area of influence of the Serra da Mesa Hydroelectric a survey has been performed since 1997 and revealed the occurrence of well-established populations of Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) in the 8 municipalities surrounding the lake. Areas of epidemiologic risk for schistosomiasis were selected and studies of parasite-mollusc compatibility were undertaken using specimens from 19 populations of B. straminea and 3 strains (CM, EC and PB) originally isolated from B. straminea. Among 1,135 specimens used 15 became infected (infection index of 1.3%) and 8 populations were susceptible to the schistosome strains: B. straminea from Campinorte (Castelão, susceptible to CM and EC strains, and Planeta Água, EC strain), Colinas (Tocantinzinho river, CM and EC strains), Minaçu (Canabrava river, EC strain), Niquelândia (Codemin, CM and PB strains, and Almas river, CM strain), Uruaçu (touristic area, PB strain) and Santa Rita do Novo Destino (Maranhão river, CM and EC strains). These results, associated with marked social and ecological changes occurred, strongly suggest the possibility of B. straminea coming to act as a vector of schistosomiasis in the studied area.

Phlebotomines (Diptera: Psychodidae) in forested areas of the Serra da Bodoquena, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Investigation was undertaken on the behaviour of the phlebotomine fauna in caves, forests, and anthropic environments of the Serra da Bodoquena, between January 1998 and January 2000. This paper reports on the phlebotomines captured in forested areas with automatic light traps (ALT), Shannon traps (ST), aspiration (AN), at natural resting sites and by human attractiveness (HA) during 24 h. The diversity and abundance of the species were investigated with ALT installed at 16 points (ground level) and 6 in the canopy. Natural infection by flagellates was investigated in females captured with ST, AN, and HA. The sand fly fauna was represented by 23 species. Twenty-two of these were captured with ALT, 15 of them on the western side, and 20 on the eastern. Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani were the most abundant on the former and this species together with Lutzomyia almerioi on the latter side. On the eastern side the ecotopes located close to caves rendered a significantly greater number (P < 0.01) of specimens than did more distant sites. On this side Lu. almerioi contributed with 56% of the total number of specimens. Lu. almerioi females were predominantly attracted by humans (96.4%) and by ST (93.2%) and three of the 2173 dissected (0.138%) presented natural infection by flagellates. The attraction of Lu. almerioi to humans occurred during all seasons, predominantly in the summer, and in nocturnal and diurnal periods. Thus it is bothersome to inhabitants of and visitors to the Bodoquena ridge and a potential vector of flagellates.

Redescription of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral and description of a new species of the Myzorhynchella Section (Diptera: Culicidae) from Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) pristinus Nagaki & Sallum, n. sp. of the Myzorhynchella Section is described based on morphological characters of adult females, males, fourth-instar larvae, pupae and male genitalia. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral is characterized to fix its identity and distinguish it from An. pristinus. The eggs of An. antunesi are described for the first time. Molecular characterization employing sequences of the COI mitochondrial gene and the ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA are provided for each species. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are compared with morphologically similar species of the Myzorhynchella Section. The results of the present study suggest that the new species has been misidentified as both An. antunesi and Anopheles lutzii Cruz. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are sympatric, occurring at high altitudes in Serra da Mantiqueira, Southeastern Brazil.

Prevalence and genotypes of hepatitis C virus among injecting drug users from Salvador-BA, Brazil

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major infectious disease agent among injecting drug users (IDUs), with seroprevalence ranging from 50-90%. In this paper, serological and virological parameters were investigated among 194 IDUs, 94 ex-IDUs and 95 non-IDUs that were sampled by the "snowball" technique in three localities renowned for both intense drug use and trafficking activities in Salvador, Brazil. The majority of the participants were male, but sex and mean age differed significantly between IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs (p < 0.05). Anti-HCV screening revealed that 35.6%, 29.8% and 5.3% of samples from IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively, were seropositive. HCV-RNA detection confirmed that the prevalence of infection was 29.4%, 21.3% and 5.3% for IDUs, ex-IDUs and non-IDUs, respectively. Genotyping analysis among IDUs/ex-IDUs determined that 76.9% were infected with genotype 1, 18.5% with genotype 3 and 4.6% with a mixed genotype; this result differed significantly from non-IDUs, where genotype 3 was the most frequent (60%), followed by genotype 1 (20%) and a mixed genotype (20%). We report a significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection in IDUs/ex-IDUs compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Although the sample size of our study was small, the differences in HCV genotype distribution reported herein for IDUs/ex-IDUs and non-IDUs warrant further investigation.

The sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) of the Parque Estadual da Serra da Tiririca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the state of Rio de Janeiro is sporadic and can be characterised as a peridomestic transmission that occurs in modified natural environments. The aim of this work was to study the fauna and ecological characteristics of sandflies in an environmentally protected area (the State Park of Serra da Tiririca) within the remnants of the Atlantic Forest in the municipalities of Niterói and Maricá and their possible relationship with leishmaniasis. Captures were performed using light traps during the night once a month for one year in both sylvatic environments and areas surrounding homes near the park. A total of 1,037 sandflies were captured, belonging to nine genera and 12 species: Evandromyia tupynambai (34.1%), Migonemyia migonei (20.6%), Brumptomyia cunhai (13.8%), Micropygomyia schreiberi (9.7%), Psathyromyia lanei (6.5%), Brumptomyia nitzulescui (5.7%), Evandromyia edwardsi (5.4%), Nyssomyia intermedia (2.8%), Evandromyia cortelezzii (0.6%), Pintomyia bianchigalatiae (0.5%), Lutzomyia longipalpis (0.2%) and Sciopemyia microps (0.1%). Both Mg. migonei and Ny. intermedia may be acting as vectors of CL in this area.

A implantação do projeto de atendimento Móvel de Urgência em Salvador/BA: panorama e desafios

O estudo objetivou relatar a experiência na implantação e estruturação do projeto do Serviço Móvel de Urgência (SAMU-192), em Salvador, cujas bases legais foram portarias do Ministério da Saúde e a Norma Operacional de Assistência à Saúde 02/2002. O serviço tem como finalidade prestar assistência gratuita ao indivíduo, em um primeiro nível de atenção, com agravos de natureza clínica, cirúrgica, traumática e psiquiátrica que acarretam sofrimento, seqüelas ou morte e ocorrem fora do ambiente hospitalar. O objetivo específico foi garantir o atendimento às situações de urgência e emergência por meio do SAMU-192, regulado, hierarquizado e integrado ao Sistema Único de Saúde, assegurando recursos públicos inclusive integrados à rede complementar de assistência. Despesas para sua instalação foram pactuadas no município e em comissões intergestoras federal e estadual. Os desafios do serviço incluem educação comunitária, capacitação profissional, avaliação de recursos humanos e materiais, na dinâmica e qualidade da atenção.

New species of Apenesia (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from the Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Acre, Brazil

Ten new species of Apenesia Westwood, 1874, from Brazil, Acre, are described and illustrated. They belong, respectively, to the following species-groups: nitida group, Apenesia lobata sp. nov., A. serrulata sp. nov. and A. subangulata sp. nov.; laevigata group, A. ocullata sp. nov. and A. rostrum sp. nov.; columbana group, A. apicilata sp. nov.; mexicana group, A. triapicalis sp. nov.; brasiliensis group, A. megaventris sp. nov., A. ventosa sp. nov. and A. triangula sp. nov. New geographical records and some morphological data on A. funebris Evans, 1963, A. nitida (Kieffer, 1910) and A. truncaticeps (Kieffer, 1910) are added.

The night and day of dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) in the Serra do Japi, Brazil: elytra colour related to daily activity

In the present study 387 dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) were surveyed at the Serra do Japi, in the Atlantic Forest in São Paulo State, with four baited pitfall traps during the months of December, 1998, and January, 1999 during eight 24 hour cycles. A total of 30 species were identified and temporal variation in activity patterns among the species shows a specialization in the use of food resources: 9 species were classified as nocturnal and 13 as diurnal. The daily activity pattern of dung beetles does not necessarily correspond to the taxonomic classification, but is strongly related to the colouring of species, determined by predominant elytra colour: nocturnal species have 89 % more chances of being black as opposed to colourful. Black nocturnal species might have evolved as an interspecific adaptation to avoid predation (cryptic colouring). Among the colourful diurnal dung beetles, measure of body length of each species shows that development of bright colouring was more often found in medium to large species, which suggests that colouring evolved as a response to intraspecific pressures, important in agonistic encounters among males.

Phlebotomines (Diptera, Psychodidae) in caves of the Serra da Bodoquena, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil

The present paper deals with the phlebotomine species captured during the period from January 1998 to June 2000 in 12 caves located in the Serra da Bodoquena, situated in the south central region of Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. Three of the caves are situated further north (in Bodoquena county), seven in the central area (Bonito county) and two in the south (Jardim county). These last two caves and three of those in Bonito are located at the west side of the ridge. Eighteen species of phlebotomines were captured within the caves: Brumptomyia avellari (Costa Lima, 1932), Brumptomyia brumpti (Larrousse, 1920), Brumptomyia cunhai (Mangabeira, 1942), Brumptomyia galindoi (Fairchild & Hertig, 1947), Evandromyia corumbaensis (Galati, Nunes, Oshiro & Rego, 1989), Lutzomyia almerioi Galati & Nunes, 1999, Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912), Martinsmyia oliveirai (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1970), Micropygomyia acanthopharynx (Martins, Falcão & Silva, 1962), Micropygomyia peresi (Mangabeira, 1942), Micropygomyia quinquefer (Dyar, 1929), Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939), Psathyromyia campograndensis (Oliveira, Andrade-Filho, Falcão & Brazil, 2001), Psathyromyia punctigeniculata (Floch & Abonnenc, 1944), Psathyromyia shannoni (Dyar, 1929), Pintomyia kuscheli (Le Pont, Martinez, Torrez-Espejo & Dujardin, 1998), Sciopemyia sordellii (Shannon & Del Ponte, 1927) and Sciopemyia sp. A total of 29,599 phlebotomine sandflies was obtained. Lutzomyia almerioi was absolutely predominant (91.5%) over the other species on both sides of the Bodoquena ridge, with the exception of the southern caves in which it was absent. It presents summer predominance, with nocturnal and diurnal activities. The species breeds in the caves and was captured during daytime both in the dark area and in the mouth of the caves. Martinsmyia oliveirai, the second most frequent sandfly, also presents a summer peak and only predominated over the other species in one cave, in which there were human residues.0

Análise faunística de afídeos (Hemiptera, Aphididae) na Serra do Mar, Paraná, Brasil

Foram coletados na Serra do Mar, Paraná, 8134 espécimes de afídeos pertencentes a 87 espécies usando armadilhas amarelas de água durante 13 meses em onze locais com um gradiente altitudinal entre 10 m sobre o nível do mar (s.n.m.) e 1000 m s.n.m. A ocorrência e a dominância dos afídeos foram correlacionadas com características ambientais de cada área, principalmente com a altitude, flora local e alterações antrópicas. O número mais elevado de espécimes foi entre 78 m e 555 m s.n.m., sendo a grande maioria das espécies classificada como raras. As espécies consideradas comuns coletadas em todos os locais foram as de hábito polífago e aquelas cujos hospedeiros preferenciais estavam presentes na área, como: Aphis spiraecola, Toxoptera aurantii, Brevicoryne brassicae, Tetraneura nigriabdominalis e Uroleucon ambrosiae. Não foi observada uma relação clara entre os índices faunísticos obtidos com a flora local e a altitude das áreas. As armadilhas colocadas em áreas de transição entre os macro-ambientes de Floresta Ombrófila Densa Atlântica Montana e de Floresta Ombrófila Mista capturaram o maior número de espécies de afídeos.

Caracterização de ninhos e tamanho de colônia de Acromyrmex rugosus (F. Smith) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Attini) em restingas de Ilhéus, BA, Brasil

Oito ninhos de Acromyrmex rugosus foram escavados para estudar sua estrutura e estimar sua população. Esses ninhos eram sempre encontrados escondidos por plantas; apresentaram pequena quantidade de solo e tinham 1 ou 2 entradas; uma delas tinham a forma de um "U" invertido. Internamente, o número de câmaras foi variável e o volume de fungo foi pequeno(X=196 ml). O total da população do ninho foi aproximadamente, 895 indivíduos.

Gall inducing arthropods from a seasonally dry tropical forest in Serra do Cipó, Brazil

Highly diverse forms of galling arthropods can be identified in much of southeastern Brazil's vegetation. Three fragments of a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) located in the southern range of the Espinhaço Mountains were selected for study in the first survey of galling organisms in such tropical vegetation. Investigators found 92 distinct gall morphotypes on several organs of 51 host plant species of 19 families. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) was the most prolific gall-inducing species, responsible for the largest proportion of galls (77%) observed. Leaves were the most frequently galled plant organ (63%), while the most common gall morphotype was of a spherical shape (30%). The two plant species, Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae) and Celtis brasiliensis (Cannabaceae), presented the highest number of gall morphtypes, displaying an average of 5 gall morphotypes each. This is the first study of gall-inducing arthropods and their host plant species ever undertaken in a Brazilian SDTF ecosystem. Given the intense human pressure on SDTFs, the high richness of galling arthropods, and implied floral host diversity found in this study indicates the need for an increased effort to catalogue the corresponding flora and fauna, observe their intricate associations and further understand the implications of such rich diversity in these stressed and vulnerable ecosystems.

Noctuidae moths occurring in grape orchards in Serra Gaúcha, Brazil and their relation to fruit-piercing

There is no study aiming to investigate if Noctuidae moths are responsible for piercing cultivated fruits in South America. This research aims to survey noctuid moths and list the species with mouth-parts (proboscis) morphology that suggest the capacity to cause damages to grape orchards in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Catches were carried out weekly from late November 2007 to late March 2008 (fructification period) using light traps and McPhail traps in three grape orchards in the region of Serra Gaúcha. The catches resulted in 187 taxa, with 149 identified at the specific level and 38 at genus level. The proboscises of representative taxa were removed and analyzed under stereomicroscope and scan electron microscope. It was verified that only Oraesia argyrosema (Hampson, 1926) and Gonodonta biarmata Guenée, 1852 show proboscis with suitable morphology for piercing rind and pulp of a grape berry. Achaea ablunaris (Guenée, 1852); Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758); Letis mineis Geyer, 1827; Mocis latipes Hübner, 1823; Ophisma tropicalis Guenée, 1852, and Zale exhausta (Guenée, 1852) show proboscis only adapted to lacerate the pulp. The proboscis morphology of the remaining noctuid moths suggests lack of capacity to cause damage. Despite the presence of species capable of piercing grape berries, the populations of such species are very reduced and unable to cause damage of economic level.