Marcelo Carvalho de Resende

Seasonal variation of Lutzomyia longipalpis in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais

Between October, 1997 and September, 1999 in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais a study of seasonal variation of Lutzomyia longipalpis was carried out in three distinct areas of the municipality. Sand flies were sampled at 15-day intervals in three residences, in each of which two CDC light traps were installed, one indoors and the other in the peridomicile. A total of 397 sand flies were captured in the three areas, with 65%, 30% and 1% of specimens collected in the eastern, northeast and Barreiro districts, respectively. The overall proportions of sand flies collected inside and around the houses were similar (57% vs 43%) and this pattern was seen for both Lutzomyia longipalpis and Lutzomyia whitmani . The highest population levels during the two years of the study were from October to March. From October onwards, numbers increased constantly until February. A gradual fall was seen from April onwards until the lowest levels were reached in the months of June, July and August.

Evaluation of the sticky MosquiTRAP™ for detecting Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) during the dry season in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

MosquiTRAP is a sticky trap specifically designed to capture gravid females of Aedes aegypti (L.) and allows the identification of the mosquito in the field during the inspection of the trap. This study aims to compare this sticky trap to larval and ovitrap surveys for field monitoring of A. aegypti during the dry season. The study was conducted from March to June of 2003 in 20 blocks of the district of Itapoã, Belo Horizonte, MG. The traps were monitored every week while the larval survey was conducted on a monthly basis. The larval index: Premise Index (PI) and Breteau Index (BI) had equal values throughout the experiment (1.72 in the first two months and zero in the last two). The container index (CI) during the first two months was 0.09 and 0.1%, respectively and zero in the last two. The Ovitrap Positive Index (OPI) ranged from 16.7 to 76.9%, and the MosquiTRAP Positive Index (MPI) ranged from 0 to 31.5%. The Egg Density Index (EDI) ranged from 26.6 to 82.8, while the Adult Density Index ranged from 0 to 1.6 throughout the experiment. Temperature and rainfall did not affect the Positive and Density Indices, although these environmental variables seemed to have affected the larvae indices. Although the MosquiTRAP caught a low number of Aedes mosquitoes during the study, it was more sensitive than the larval survey to detect the presence of Aedes mosquitoes.

Field optimisation of MosquiTRAP sampling for monitoring Aedes aegypti Linnaeus (Diptera: Culicidae)

A sticky trap designed to capture gravid Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti mosquitoes, MosquiTRAP, has been evaluated for monitoring this species in Brazil. However, the effects of trap densities on the capture rate of Ae. aegypti females and the sensitivity of vector detection are still unknown. After a preliminary study has identified areas of high and low female mosquito abundance, a set of experiments was conducted in four neighbourhoods of Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) using densities of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 traps per block. Trap sensitivity (positive MosquiTRAP index) increased significantly when 1-8 MosquiTRAPs were installed per block in both high and low abundance areas. A strong fit was obtained for the total number of mosquitoes captured with increasing trap densities through a non-linear function (Box-Lucas) (r² = 0,994), which likely exhibits saturation towards an equilibrium level. The capacity of the Mean Female Aedes Index to distinguish between areas of high and low Ae. aegypti abundance was also investigated; the achieved differentiation was shown to be dependent on the MosquiTRAP density.

Efeito da densidade larval no tamanho de adultos de Aedes aegypti criados em condições de laboratório

To evaluate the influence of larval density in development of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes we evaluated three different densities. It was observed that conditions of high larval density and shortage of food produced a reduction in the size of adults and increased mortality rate of Aedes aegypti in laboratory conditions.

A comparison of larval, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP surveillance for Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti

In Brazil, the entomological surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti is performed by government-mandated larval surveys. In this study, the sensitivities of an adult sticky trap and traditional surveillance methodologies were compared. The study was performed over a 12-week period in a residential neighbourhood of the municipality of Pedro Leopoldo, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. An ovitrap and a MosquiTRAP were placed at opposite ends of each neighbourhood block (60 traps in total) and inspections were performed weekly. The study revealed significant correlations of moderate strength between the larval survey, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP measurements. A positive relationship was observed between temperature, adult capture measurements and egg collections, whereas precipitation and frequency of rainy days exhibited a negative relationship.

Efeito da ovitrampa letal na longevidade de fêmeas de Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Oviposition traps with added insecticide may work as a new method for controlling the females of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Females of Aedes aegypti were placed in contact with lethal ovitraps with aging. The mortality rate ranged from 60.3% to 100%. The effect of aging the slats impregnated with deltamethrin was significant in relation to the percentage mortality among Aedes aegypti females.

Persistência e eficácia do regulador de crescimento pyriproxyfen em condições de laboratório para Aedes aegypti

The persistence and efficacy of growth regulator pyriproxyfen were evaluated in two final concentrations 0.01 and 0.05 ppm against Aedes aegypti larvae in laboratory conditions using three types of containers: cement box (45 liters), glass bottle (5 liters) and plastic bucket (20 liters). The tests were carried after 1, 7, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 days of treatment against Aedes aegypti larvae 3rd and 4th instar. The percentages of larvae, pupae and adult mortality, the percentage of adult emergence inhibition and time duration of bioassays were calculated. A was observed a persistence of 45 and 90 days by using 0.01 and 0.05 ppm final concentrations of pyriproxyfen, respectively, was observed. We observed that mortality in the pupa stage was significantly higher than larvae and adults mortality for all containers and concentrations.

Avaliação da armadilha HP iscada com diferentes taxas de liberação de octenol na captura de anofelinos (Diptera: Culicidae) em Brejo do Mutambal, Município de Varzelândia, Estado de Minas Gerais

To evaluate the role of octenol in collecting anophelines, HP traps baited with different rates of evaporation. A total of 285 anophelines was captured and there was no significant difference in the numbers of anophelines captured between the control traps and the traps baited with octenol and no difference between the release rates.

Avaliação da operacionalidade da armadilha MosquiTRAP no monitoramento de Aedes aegypti

Endereço para correspondência: Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil. CEP: 31270-901 E-mail: resendemarcelo@ig.com.br, marcelo.resende@funasa.gov.br Marcelo Carvalho de Resende Laboratório de Ecologia Química de Insetos Vetores, Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil Coordenação Regional, Fundação Nacional de Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Belo Horizonte-MG, Brasil

Periodicidade de captura de Anopheles darlingi Root (Diptera: Culicidae) em Porto Velho, RO

Anopheles darlingi Root is the principal malaria vector in Amazonia region. The objectives of this work were to study the periodicity of Anopheles darlingi Root, the host preference for peri or extra-domestic environments and the parous rate in four field sites in Porto Velho (RO) by human-landing. All of the Anopheles specimens collected were identified, but only A. darlingi was dissected for the parous study. The results showed that human-landing colleted a total of 985 anophelines, with A. darlingi (972) being the most abundant species. Female mosquitoes were more abundant at extra-domestic environments in two of the locations studied (Sao Joao e Candeias do Jamari) (P < 0.05). The parous rate was 96% and no periodicity was observed for captures of females of A. darlingi in the field sites.