Ecological characterization of fleas on small mammals in natural and disturbed landscapes in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, Argentina.

To understand the ecoepidemiology of fleas and their interactions with domestic and wild animals, it is necessary to decode the cycles of flea abundance in relation to host species and environmental factors. The province of Misiones, known for its biodiversity and land use changes, provides an excellent study location. We assessed the diversity, prevalence, abundance, and parasitic intensity of fleas collected from 1153 rodents and opossums in various environments in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest of Argentina, considering phytogeography and land use.

Detection of Mycobacterium bovis in Free-Ranging Sapajus nigritus, Argentina.

Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis are the most relevant among pathogenic mycobacteria, both belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex (MTC). Samples of blood, liver, spleen, kidneys, lungs and caseous tubercles were collected from a free-ranging juvenile black capuchin monkey (Sapajus nigritus) showing non-specific signs of illness.

Rhabdoviral Endogenous Sequences Identified in the Leishmaniasis Vector Are Widespread in Sandflies from South America.

Sandflies are known vectors of leishmaniasis. In the Old World, sandflies are also vectors of viruses while little is known about the capacity of New World insects to transmit viruses to humans. Here, we relate the identification of RNA sequences with homology to rhabdovirus nucleocapsids (NcPs) genes, initially in the LL5 cell lineage, named NcP1.

The perfect storm: Cutaneous leishmaniasis in troops deployed in the Atlantic forest of Argentina.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is the most prevalent form of leishmaniasis, associated with an ulcerative and stigmatizing mucocutaneous pathology. This study assessed the incidence of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis in members of the Argentine Army who were exposed to sandfly bites in Iguazú National Park (INP), northeastern Argentina, during an outbreak of ACL in 2019, and the presence of Leishmania in rodents, opossums and phlebotomine sandflies collected in the area of exposure. Samples from military personnel, wild animals and phlebotomine sandflies were analysed.

Cryptic Diversity in Sympatric Migonemyia migonei (Diptera: Psychodidae), Eventual Meaning for Leishmaniasis Transmission.

Migonemyia migonei (Franҫa, 1920) (Diptera: Psychodidae) belongs to the subfamily Phlebotominae, of epidemiological importance due to its role as a vector in leishmaniasis transmission cycles and its broad geographic distribution in South America. Few morphometric and genetic studies have demonstrated the existence of variability among geographically distant populations in Brazil. The aim of the study was to estimate the genetic distance within the morphospecies Mg.

Dengue vaccine acceptance and willingness to pay: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Dengue is the most important human vector-borne disease in terms of disease burden. A first dengue vaccine has recently been licenced, and others are in advanced stages of development. However, to date, none of these vaccines has achieved balanced efficacy and safety for all dengue serotypes.

Specificity of fleas associated with opossums in a landscape gradient in the Paranaense Rainforest Ecoregion.

The degree of host specificity of fleas varies from highly specific (monoxenous) to opportunistic (polyxenous). Specific parasite-host associations can be observed among some flea families and tribes and mammalian orders, such as fleas of the tribe Tritopsyllini (Ctenophthalmidae, Doratopsyllinae) and opossums (Didelphimorphia). Specimens of the family Didelphidae are common hosts of fleas of the genus Adoratopsylla (Ewing, 1925).

Population dynamics of Nyssomyia whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae) in domestic and peridomestic environments in Northeast Argentina, a tegumentary leishmaniasis outbreak area.

In the present study, the temporal dynamics of the main vector of Leishmania braziliensis, Nyssomyia whitmani, was measured by monthly captures of phlebotominae sandflies during 5 consecutive years (from 2011 to 2016) in the Paranaense region of South America. The captures were performed in environments where the human-vector contact risk is high: domiciliary and peridomiciliary environments in a rural area endemic of tegumentary leishmaniasis. Nyssomyia whitmani was recorded as the dominant species of the phlebotominae ensemble in all domiciliary and peridomiciliary environments (House, Chicken Shed, Pigsty, and Forest Edge).

Nyssomyia whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae) Activity From Sunset to Sunrise: A Two-Year Study in a Rural Area in Northeast Argentina.

We model the nocturnal patterns of the main vector of Leishmania braziliensis (Vianna) in the Paranaense region of South America, Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho). Occurrence and abundance variation were analyzed by hourly periods, and in relation to sunrise and sunset to avoid differences in luminosity at fixed times throughout the year. The possible role of climatic and environmental variables on nocturnal activity curves was explored.

Triatoma infestans, to be or not to be autogenic?

Autogeny, the ability to develop eggs without a meal in the adult stage, has been described in several groups of arthropods, especially hematophagous Diptera Nematocera. In obligate hematophagous hemimetabolous insects that feed on blood in all their instars, such as Triatominae, this concept gives rise to species with apparently facultative autogeny, such as Triatoma infestans. Generalized linear models were applied to explain egg production by the predictor variables molting weight as a proxy of nymphal accumulated reserves and digested blood weight as an indicator of adult reserve in fasted, incompletely fed and engorged at repletion females.

Abundance of and , the spp. vectors in northeastern of Argentina: Are spatial and temporal changing patterns consistence?

and were incriminated as vectors of sp. Spatial heterogeneity together with seasonal changes in abundance constitute important elements for the understanding of the dynamics of vector populations, and there are fundamental for the development of adequate prevention and control strategies. The aim of this work was to compare the spatial and seasonal abundance of and at a city spatial scale between two periods separated by three years.

Larval Competition Between Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Argentina: Coexistence and Implications in the Distribution of the Asian Tiger Mosquito.

Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) are worldwide vectors of dengue and yellow fever viruses. These species coexist in many countries and the biotic interactions between them can influence their abundances and distributions. In Argentina, Ae.

The second coming of urban yellow fever in the Americas: looking the past to see the future.

Yellow fever (YF) epizootics in South America during the 21st century have an unprecedented recorded magnitude and geographical dispersion. The YF spread progressively involved areas considered previously free of risk reaching the edge of cities with large unvaccinated populations, and urban outbreaks were frequently forecasted. We critically reviewed the initial stages and enhancing contexts of YF urban epidemics since the 17th century in the Americas, and the modeling attempts of YF epidemic risk by of Aedes-Human transmission, to find common factors that increase the probability of these events in the current scenarios.

Ecological characterization of a cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreak through remotely sensed land cover changes.

In this work we assessed the environmental factors associated with the spatial distribution of a cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) outbreak during 2015-2016 in north-eastern Argentina to understand its typical or atypical eco-epidemiological pattern. We combined locations of human CL cases with relevant predictors derived from analysis of remote sensing imagery in the framework of ecological niche modelling and trained MaxEnt models with cross-validation for predictors estimated at different buffer areas relevant to CL vectors (50 and 250 m radii). To account for the timing of biological phenomena, we considered environmental changes occurring in two periods, 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

Enterobiasis and its risk factors in urban, rural and indigenous children of subtropical Argentina.

A cross-sectional survey to assess the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection and its associated factors among the child population of infant, preschool and school age in the urban, rural and indigenous population of Iguazú city, in subtropical Argentina was presented. Additionally, the status of enterobiasis at country level was reviewed and analysed. Enterobius vermicularis presence was assessed employing an oviscopic serial sampling technique.

Update of the Phlebotominae Fauna with New Records for Argentina and Observations on Leishmaniasis Transmission Scenarios at a Regional Scale.

Phlebotominae are small insects distributed in the Americas from Canada to Argentina and Uruguay, counting with more than 500 neotropical species. Some of them have a vectorial role in the transmission of Leishmania Ross, the causative agent of leishmaniases, a group of worldwide distributed diseases with different clinical manifestations and transmission cycles. Our aim was to update the Phlebotominae fauna of Argentina and to make observations on the American Cutaneous (ACL) and Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) transmission scenarios, according to the distribution of proven or suspected Leishmania vector species and recent changes in land use.

Description of Evandromyia cristacapita sp. nov., a new sand fly species of the Argentinian Chaco.

A new species of phlebotomine sand fly collected in the rural and peri-urban areas of wet and dry subregions of the Chaco Province, Argentina, is described. Illustrations of male and female adults are presented. Morphological characters allow the inclusion of the new species within the Evandromyia genus, Barrettomyia subgenus, Cortelezzii series (Diptera: Psychodidae).

A Feasibility Study on Using the Facilities of Health Centers for Developing a Laboratory Network on Vectors and Reservoir Hosts of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iran.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an ancient endemic disease in Iran and continues to be a growing health threat to community development and the environment. This paper explains how to use the facilities of health centers for developing a laboratory network on vectors and reservoir hosts of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran.

Methods: A literature search was performed of the relevant multiple databases to include studies on vectors and reservoirs of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran.

Ecology of fleas and their hosts in the trifinio of north-east Argentina: first detection of Rickettsia asembonensis in Ctenocephalides felis felis in Argentina.

Fleas are important in public health due to their role as parasites and vectors of pathogens, including Rickettsia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diversity, abundance and prevalence of fleas and the presence of Rickettsia in the trifinio of north-east Argentina. Fleas from household and synanthropic animals were obtained from urban and periurban areas.

Peridomestic natural breeding sites of Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes and Coutinho) in an endemic area of tegumentary leishmaniasis in northeastern Argentina.

The scarce information about breeding sites of phlebotomines limits our understanding of the epidemiology of tegumentary leishmaniasis. Identifying the breeding sites and seasons of immature stages of these vectors is essential to propose prevention and control strategies different from those targeting the adult stage. Here we identified the rural breeding environments of immature stages of Ny.

Emergent canine visceral leishmaniasis in Argentina: Comparative diagnostics and relevance to proliferation of human disease.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic protozoal vector-borne disease that is a major public health challenge. In Argentina, canine (CVL) and human visceral leishmaniasis (HVL) have recently emerged. There is a lack of standardised diagnostic tests for CVL, which hinders control of CVL and HVL.

Interaction between environmental and socioeconomic determinants for cutaneous leishmaniasis risk in Latin America.

Objective: Determine and characterize potential risk areas for the occurrence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Latin America (LA).

Method: Ecological observational study with observation units defined by municipalities with CL transmission between 2014-2018. Environmental and socioeconomic variables available for at least 85% of the municipalities were used, combined in a single database, utilizing the R software.