Antonio Conceição Paranhos Filho

Biotic factors and occurrence of Lutzomyia longipalpis in endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The relationships between environmental exposure to risk agents and health conditions have been studied with the aid of remote sensing imagery, a tool particularly useful in the study of vegetation cover. This study aims to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on the spatial distribution of the abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis and the reported canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases at an urban area of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The sandfly captures were performed in 13 residences that were selected by raffle considering four residences or collection station for buffer. These buffers were generated from the central house with about 50, 100 and 200 m from it in an endemic area of VL. The abundance of sandflies and human and canine cases were georreferenced using the GIS software PCI Geomatica. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and percentage of land covered by vegetation were the environmental variables extracted from a remote sensing IKONOS-2 image. The average NDVI was considered as the complexity of habitat and the standard deviation as the heterogeneity of habitat. One thousand three hundred sixty-seven specimens were collected during the catch. We found a significant positive linear correlation between the abundance of sandflies and the percentage of vegetation cover and average NDVI. However, there was no significant association between habitat heterogeneity and the abundance of these flies.

Spatial distribution and environmental factors associated to phlebotomine fauna in a border area of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

BackgroundMato Grosso do Sul has been undergoing a process of urbanization which results in loss of native vegetation. This withdrawal makes vectors of man and domestic animals closer, causing changes in the epidemiology of diseases such as American Visceral Leishmaniasis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the phlebotomine fauna and environmental issues related to the transmission of AVL in Ponta Porã, Mato Grosso do Sul, between 2009 and 2010.MethodsVegetation of the urban area was evaluated by Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI).ResultsThe results showed that the phlebotomine fauna of the city consists of five species, especially Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz and Neiva, 1912), the vector of Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. Predominance of males was observed. The insects were captured in greater quantity in the intradomicile. Lu. longipalpis was the most frequent and abundant species, present throughout the year, with a peak population after the rainy season. Vectors can be found in high amounts in forest and disturbed environments.ConclusionsThe finding of Lu. longipalpis in regions with little vegetation and humidity suggests that the species is adapted to different sorts of environmental conditions, demonstrating its close association with man and the environment it inhabits. The tourist feature of Ponta Porã reinforces its epidemiological importance as a vulnerable city. The geographical location, bordering Paraguay through dry border, makes possible the existence of a corridor of vectors and infected dogs between the two countries.

Spatiotemporal analysis of sandfly fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) in an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis at Pantanal, central South America

BackgroundEnvironmental changes caused by urbanization can cause alterations in the ecology and behavior of sandflies and in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis. Geotechnological tools allow the analysis and recognition of spatiotemporal patterns by monitoring and mapping risk areas of this vector-borne disease. This study aims to describe the sandfly fauna in the municipality of Corumbá and to compare it with the data described in a three-year period from 1984 to 1986 by Galati. A further aim was to analyze the influence of environmental changes on the composition of the fauna.MethodsCaptures were conducted weekly from April 2012 to March 2013, in intra and peridomicile areas with automatic light traps, from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. The following indices were calculated for both periods analyzed: Standardized Index of Species Abundance (SISA), Shannon’s diversity index (H) and Pielou’s index (J). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was extracted from a remote sensing LANDSAT-5 image.ResultsIn total, 7,370 specimens (6,169 males and 1,201 females) were collected, distributed among 12 species. Lutzomyia cruzi was the most frequent species (93,79%) and the first in the ranking of standardized species abundance index in both studies. The dominance of the species Lu. cruzi in the neighborhoods of Maria Leite and Centro was demonstrated by the low equitability index. The neighborhood of Cristo Redentor had the greatest diversity of sandflies in the present study and the second greatest in the study performed by Galati et al. (Rev Saúde Pública 31:378–390, 1997). Analyzing the satellite images and the NDVI from 1984 and 2010, the largest amount of dense vegetation was found in the neighborhood of Cristo Redentor.ConclusionsIt was, therefore, possible to show how changes caused due to urbanization have affected the density and distribution of Lu. cruzi and other species over time. Moreover, the data suggest that different populations of sandflies adapt in different ways according to environmental conditions and the adaptation does not necessarily depends on the presence of high vegetation cover.

Biogeochemical processes and the diversity of Nhecolândia lakes, Brazil

The Pantanal of Nhecolândia, the worlds largest and most diversified field of tropical lakes, comprises approximately 10,000 lakes, which cover an area of 24,000 km(2) and vary greatly in salinity, pH, alkalinity, colour, physiography and biological activity. The hyposaline lakes have variable pHs, low alkalinity, macrophytes and low phytoplankton densities. The saline lakes have pHs above 9 or 10, high alkalinity, a high density of phytoplankton and sand beaches. The cause of the diversity of these lakes has been an open question, which we have addressed in our research. Here we propose a hybrid process, both geochemical and biological, as the main cause, including (1) a climate with an important water deficit and poverty in Ca(2+) in both superficial and phreatic waters; and (2) an elevation of pH during cyanobacteria blooms. These two aspects destabilise the general tendency of Earths surface waters towards a neutral pH. This imbalance results in an increase in the pH and dissolution of previously precipitated amorphous silica and quartzose sand. During extreme droughts, amorphous silica precipitates in the inter-granular spaces of the lake bottom sediment, increasing the isolation of the lake from the phreatic level. This paper discusses this biogeochemical problem in the light of physicochemical, chemical, altimetric and phytoplankton data.

Monthly Distribution of Phlebotomine Sand Flies, and Biotic and Abiotic Factors Related to Their Abundance, in an Urban Area to Which Visceral Leishmaniasis Is Endemic in Corumba, Brazil

The monthly distribution and abundance of sand flies are influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. The present study aimed to evaluate the seasonal distribution of sand flies and the relation between their abundance and environmental parameters, including vegetation and climate. This study was conducted over a 2-year period (April 2012 to March 2014). Monthly distribution was evaluated through the weekly deployment of CDC light traps in the peridomicile area of 5 residences in an urban area of the municipality of Corumbá in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Meteorological data were obtained from the Mato Grosso do Sul Center for Weather, Climate, and Water Resources. The spectral indices were calculated based on spatial resolution images (GeoEye) and the percentage of vegetal coverage. Differences in the abundance of sand flies among the collection sites were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the strength of correlations between environmental variables was determined by calculating Spearman’s correlation coefficients. Lutzomyia cruzi, Lu. forattinii, and Evandromyia corumbaensis were the most frequently found species. Although no significant association was found among these sand fly species and the tested environmental variables (vegetation and climate), high population peaks were found during the rainy season, whereas low peaks were observed in the dry season. The monthly distribution of sand flies was primarily determined by Lu. cruzi, which accounted for 93.94% of the specimens collected each month throughout the experimental period. The fact that sand flies were detected year-round indicates a continuous risk of infection to humans, demonstrating the need for targeted management and education programs.

The 2009 earthquake, magnitude mb 4.8, in the Pantanal Wetlands, west-central Brazil

The main goal of this paper is to characterize the Coxim earthquake occurred in June 15th, 2009 in the Pantanal Basin and to discuss the relationship between its faulting mechanism with the Transbrasiliano Lineament. The earthquake had maximum intensity MM V causing damage in farm houses and was felt in several cities located around, including Campo Grande and Goiânia. The event had an mb 4.8 magnitude and depth was 6 km, i.e., it occurred in the upper crust, within the basement and 5 km below the Cenozoic sedimentary cover. The mechanism, a thrust fault mechanism with lateral motion, was obtained by P-wave first-motion polarities and confirmed by regional waveform modelling. The two nodal planes have orientations (strike/dip) of 300°/55° and 180°/55° and the orientation of the P-axis is approximately NE-SW. The results are similar to the Pantanal earthquake of 1964 with mb 5.4 and NE-SW compressional axis. Both events show that Pantanal Basin is a seismically active area, under compressional stress. The focal mechanism of the 1964 and 2009 events have no nodal plane that could be directly associated with the main SW-NE trending Transbrasiliano system indicating that a direct link of the Transbrasiliano with the seismicity in the Pantanal Basin is improbable.

Análise da variação da cobertura do solo no Pantanal de 2003 a 2010 através de sensoriamento remoto

O Pantanal e um dos ecossistemas mais ricos em biodiversidade do Brasil, estendendo-se pelos territorios de Mato Grosso e de Mato Grosso do Sul, alem de pequenas porcoes da Bolivia e Paraguai. A compreensao desse sistema e muito importante, ja que para preservar e necessario conhecer. Assim, atraves da utilizacao de imagens MODIS, objetivou-se estimar as diferencas de cobertura do solo do Pantanal entre os anos de 2003 e 2010, avaliando a capacidade dessas imagens na identificacao das mudancas na cobertura do solo da regiao. O limite de Pantanal adotado foi adaptado de limites consagrados na literatura; o metodo utilizado para a classificacao das imagens foi o da classificacao automatica nao supervisionada. Como resultado foi identificada a diminuicao da vegetacao arboreo-arbustiva e o aumento das areas de gramineas entre os anos de estudo.

Water Quality and Chlorophyll Measurement Through Vegetation Indices Generated from Orbital and Suborbital Images

The study was developed at the Municipality of São Gabriel do Oeste, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, where were performed analyses of water samples, including physical and chemical aspects, obtained through Hanna multi-parameter probe into four different parts of the study area. Landsat satellite 8 (L8) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was also used to generate vegetation indices, using the visible spectral range for both types of images and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) just for L8. Later, these ratios were correlated to chlorophyll a that has a key role in photosynthesis. Regarding the physical and chemical parameters, the collection point 2 was the most differed to the others; this may have happened to be a dam with little flow in an eutrophication process. Through the water absorbance curve in the visible wavelengths, it is possible to estimate comparatively water body that has larger amounts of dissolved materials in the water. There was a high correlation between vegetation indices generated from aerial photographs and L8 image, with chlorophyll a extracted from water in the laboratory. In this sense, they are likely to use to forecast future scenarios. It is suggested the use of aerial photographs of UAVs for monitoring the environmental quality of small water bodies, considering its high spatial and temporal resolution.

Inundation and Fire Shape the Structure of Riparian Forests in the Pantanal, Brazil.

Inundation and fire can affect the structure of riparian vegetation in wetlands. Our aim was to verify if there are differences in richness, abundance, basal area, composition and topographic preference of woody species in riparian forests related to the fire history, flooding duration, or the interaction between both. The study was conducted in the riparian forests of the Paraguay River some of which were burned three times between 2001 and 2011. We sampled trees with a girth of at least 5 cm at breast height in 150 5 × 10 m plots (79 burned and 71 unburned). We also measured height of the flood mark and estimated the flooding duration of each plot. We performed Generalized Linear Mixed Models to verify differences in richness, basal area, and abundance of individuals associated to interaction of fire and inundation. We used an analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) and indicator species analysis to identify differences in composition of species and the association with burned and unburned area according to different levels of inundation. Finally, we used a hierarchical set of Generalized Linear Models (GLM), the so-called HOF models, to analyse each species’ specific response to inundation based on topography and to determine their preferred optimal topographic position for both burned as well as unburned areas. Richness was positively associated with elevation only in burned areas while abundance was negatively influenced by inundation only in burned areas. Basal area was negatively associated with time of inundation independent of fire history. There were 15 species which were significant indicators for at least one combination of the studied factors. We found nine species in burned areas and 15 in unburned areas, with response curves in HOF models along the inundation gradient. From these, five species shifted their optimal position along the inundation gradient in burned areas. The interaction of fire and inundation did not appear to affect the basal area, but it did affect the richness, number of individuals, success of some species, and seemed to shape the boundary of these forests as shown by the difference in the positioning of these species along the inundation gradient.

Modelo de Thom para o zoneamento bioclimático de Mato Grosso do Sul

The objective of this study was to evaluate the climate conditions of Mato Grosso do Sul, using the index of temperature and humidity (ITU), and present the bioclimatic mapping relating to thermal comfort. The ITU values were estimated from data of temperature and relative humidity for the period 1979 to 2008. Four intervals of ITU were used to classify human performance (ITU 84: extremely hot), and two intervals to classify the Livestock (79≤ ITU 84: emergency). We conclude that the prevailing mood is one of two alternating seasons throughout the year: hot and humid summer and dry winter with warmer temperatures, the results showed a higher risk of thermal discomfort during the period from October to April, compared to the period between May and September. The most critical period occurred between December and March. Although it was observed that with ITU values between 77.9 and 83.9, humans and animals can suffer some degree of heat stress during the hottest hours of the day, negatively affecting both.