PHLEBOTOMINE FAUNA (DIPTERA: PSYCHODIDAE) IN AN AREA OF FISHING TOURISM IN CENTRAL-WESTERN BRAZIL

The aim of this study was to identify behavioral aspects of the sandfly fauna of afishing tourism area in the municipality of Bonito (MS). Monthly captures wereundertaken from December 2009 to November 2010, using automatic CDC type light traps,from 18h00 to 06h00, in a forested area, a savannah area, peridomiciles and animalshelters near peridomiciliary areas. Nyssomyia whitmani was the mostfrequent out of a total of 6,699 specimens collected, belonging to 16 species,followed by Psathyromyia bigeniculata and Lutzomyialongipalpis, found in all the environments investigated, though in theirgreatest numbers in the animal shelters. Ny. whitmani exhibited itshighest frequencies during the dry months, coincident with the fishing season, whenthe risk of transmission of cutaneous leishmaniasis for tourists and inhabitantsincreases. Noteworthy was the finding of two species naturally infected byflagellates: Ny. whitmani and Pa. bigeniculata. Thelocal population and visiting tourists should be warned of the threat posed byleishmaniasis and the health authorities alerted to the need for adoptingenvironmental sanitary measures, especially regarding such animal shelters as theyseem to provide favorable conditions to the proliferation, maintenance and breedingopportunities of phlebotomines.