Deforestation effects on Attalea palms and their resident Rhodnius, vectors of Chagas disease, in eastern Amazonia.

Attalea palms provide primary habitat to Rhodnius spp., vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. Flying from palms, these blood-sucking bugs often invade houses and can infect people directly or via food contamination.

Surveillance of cutaneous leishmaniasis in clinical samples: distribution of Leishmania guyanensis in the state of Amapá, Brazil, 2018.

Objective: to investigate Leishmania species in a series of autochthonous cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases in Amapá State, Brazilian Amazon.

Methods: this was a descriptive ecological study carried out from January-October/2018 at a reference center for CL diagnosis in Amapá; individuals with CL receiving care from January-May/2018 were recruited; clinical data and skin biopsies were obtained; from extracted DNA (phenol-chloroform) we amplified the hsp70-234 gene region (PCR) for nucleotide sequencing (Applied Biosystems: ABI3500XL).

Results: 38 individuals were interviewed, examined and diagnosed; men predominated (28/38; mean age=32.

Etiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis and anthropophilic vectors in Juruti, Pará State, Brazil.

In a preliminary study in Juruti, a mining municipality in western Pará State, Brazil, 12 out of 21 patients suspected of presenting cutaneous leishmaniasis showed positive PCR (SSUrDNA and G6PD): Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis (9/12; 75%) and L. (V.) sp.

[Focus of canine heartworm disease in Marajó Island, North of Brazil: A risk factor for human health].

The occurrence of human pulmonary dirofilariasis maintains a relation with the prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis infection in the canine population. Several mosquito species are vectors of this nematode. Canine blood samples collected in Pingo d'Agua and União villages, Salvaterra municipality (Marajó Island, Pará), in June, 2004 (n = 34) and April, 2005 (N = 90) were analyzed.