Identification and molecular characterization of Wolbachia strains and natural infection for Leishmania sp. in neotropical Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) species, leishmaniasis vectors.

Recently, Wolbachia infection has been described in leishmaniasis vector sandflies. This endosymbiont bacterium is present in 60% of insects, and has been suggested as a mechanism of biological control of vector insects, because it causes a series of changes in the invertebrate host. In addition, recent studies have shown that this bacterium can prevent the development of parasites in vector insects.

Domestic swine in a visceral leishmaniasis endemic area produce antibodies against multiple Leishmania infantum antigens but apparently resist to L. infantum infection.

In order to investigate whether pigs can be infected by Leishmania infantum, a serological and parasitological study was carried out on swine in the Jequié municipality, Northeast of Brazil. Anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies were detected in 37 out of 92 swine (40.2%), by two different assays: an anti-L.

Wild habitat and related fauna of Panstrongylus lutzi (Reduviidae, Triatominae).

Although Panstrongylus lutzi (Neiva and Pinto) is currently the fifth most frequent species of Triatominae captured in artificial structures in Brazil, its silvatic habitat remains unknown. A survey of its natural ecotopes was performed in an area of Bahia State. P.

Horizontal stratification of the sand fly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in a transitional vegetation between caatinga and tropical rain forest, state of Bahia, Brazil.

A study about the horizontal stratification of the sand fly fauna in two distinct ecosystems, caatinga area, endemic for visceral leishmaniasis, and the tropical rain forest area, endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis, was performed in the state of Bahia, Brazil. Lutzomyia longipalpis was predominant in the caatinga, and following it came the species L. capixaba and L.