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Zika virus (ZIKV) infection became a global public health concern, causing an epidemic in Latin America from 2015 to 2016, when a sudden increase in cases of microcephaly and other congenital anomalies was observed. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization defined congenital Zika-associated syndrome (CZS) as a set of congenital anomalies seen in children born to mothers with a history of gestational Zika fever, who have microcephaly as the most prevalent clinical sign. In order to describe the magnitude of CZS in Brazil, this study estimated the burden of disease due to CZS in Brazil using the disability-adjusted life years (DALY) indicator and other frequency measures, such as incidence and mortality rate, during the years 2015–2020. The association of these indicators with socioeconomic variables was also evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Choropleth maps were used to evaluate the spatial distribution of the indicators evaluated and the spatial autocorrelation was verified by the Bivariate Moran Local Index. From 2015 to 2020, 3,591 cases of CZS were confirmed in Brazil, with an incidence of 44.03 cases per 1000 live births, and a specific mortality of 12.35 deaths per 1000 live births. A global loss of 30,027.44 DALYs was estimated from 2015 to 2020. The Northeast region had the highest values for all health indicators assessed. Spatial correlation and autocorrelation analyses showed significant associations between health and socioeconomic indicators, such as per capita income, Gini index, illiteracy rate and basic sanitation. The study allowed us to have access to all reported cases of CZS, showing us the possible situation of the disease in Brazil; therefore, we believe that our results can help in the understanding of future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Neotropical realm. Its taxonomic status has been widely discussed once it encompasses a complex of species. The knowledge about the genetic structure of insect vector populations helps the elucidation of components and interactions of the disease ecoepidemiology. Thus, the objective of this study was to genotypically analyze populations of the Lu. longipalpis complex from a macrogeographic perspective using Next Generation Sequencing. Polymorphism analysis of three molecular markers was used to access the levels of population genetic structure among nine different populations of sand flies. Illumina Amplicon Sequencing Protocol® was used to identify possible polymorphic sites. The library was sequenced on paired-end Illumina MiSeq platform. Significant macrogeographical population differentiation was observed among Lu. longipalpis populations via PCA and DAPC analyses. Our results revealed that populations of Lu. longipalpis from the nine municipalities were grouped into three clusters. In addition, it was observed that the levels of Lu. longipalpis population structure could be associated with distance isolation. This new sequencing method allowed us to study different molecular markers after a single sequencing run, and to evaluate population and inter-species differences on a macrogeographic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phlebotomines have been recorded from a wide variety of habitats, and some of these vector species have shown preference for human environments, with high levels of adaptation. This study evaluated the degree of preference of these vectors for urban, rural, and forested environments (synanthropic behavior), as well as the diversity of these species, in three areas (forested, rural, and urban, exhibiting different degrees of anthropogenic changes) in a region of intense transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in Corumbá county, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Using light traps, sand fly specimens were collected from the three environments simultaneously, from May 2015 to April 2017, totaling 7 213 sand flies of 14 species in eight genera. Nuorteva’s synanthropy index was determined for the species Lutzomyia cruzi, Brumptomyia brumpti, Micropygomyia peresi, Lu. forattinii, Martinsmyia oliveirai and Evandromyia corumbaensis. Lutzomyia cruzi, the vector of Leishmania infantum in Corumbá, was the most abundant vector species, recorded from all three areas and sampling plots, on all 24 months investigated. This species exhibited the highest synanthropic index (+75.09), indicating a strong preference for urban environments. Brumptomyia brumpti, Micropygomyia peresi, Lu. forattinii, and Martinsmyia oliveirai showed preference, albeit not strong, for urban environments. Overall, males were more abundant than females (W = 490; p < 0.0001). High density, high synanthropic index, and sustained indoor presence were found for Mi. peresi in the rural area. Monitoring changes in the ecological behavior of sand flies is of vital importance, as these changes may indicate an increased likelihood of leishmaniasis emergence or reemergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miranda Municipality of Mato Grosso do Sul, borders the Pantanal wetland, a famous fishing destination visited by tourists from all over the world, and is a location where visceral leishmaniasis has been reported. To assess the risk of Leishmania infantum transmission, we studied the sandfly community, focusing on known vector and parasite presence. We conducted light trap collections twice per month at nine sites within the city (including two forested areas) for one year. We collected a total of 12,727 sand flies, 10,891 males and 1,836 females belonging to 11 species: Brumptomyia avellari, Evandromyia aldafalcaoae, Ev. evandroi, Ev. lenti, Ev. sallesi, Ev. walkeri, Lu. longipalpis, Nyssomyia whitmani, Psathyromyia bigeniculata, Pa. hermanlenti and Pa. punctigeniculata. Lutzomyia longipalpis, the proven vector of Leishmania infantum, was captured each month, and was the most abundant species observed, accounting for more than 99% of sand flies captured in most sites, especially where chicken coops were present. Evidence of Leishmania infantum infection was detected in 0.40% of Lu. longipalpis tested. We developed a generalized mixed multilevel model for Lu. longipalpis, that includes within-year seasonality, location of capture (indoors vs. outdoors), vector abundance, and sex ratio. The VL vector was abundant both inside and outside houses. Large numbers of Lu. longipalpis were observed in outdoor sites where domestic animals were present but were absent from forest sites. Our findings suggest high vector populations and Le. infantum presence in a city where tourists could be exposed to visceral leishmaniasis, with significant implications for more surveillance and control activities., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Souza et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil is an important region of South America regarding leishmaniasis, with the great diversity of sandflies reported since 1938 and wide biodiversity represented by its biomes (Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Pantanal). A checklist of sandflies is presented here for the state and respective biomes. The data base was compiled from primary and secondary data. The primary data collection involved automatic light traps at Miranda-Abobral Pantanal subregion and in subregion Baixa Nhecolância of Pantanal. The secondary data were obtained from entomology scientific collections and a literature review of articles from 1938 to 2019, including entomological museum collections. A total of 71 species were reported, belonging to 14 genera and 13 subgenera, in 61 municipalities of the state, including the type locality of 9 species, and the first report of Lutzomyia cruzi (Mangabeira 1938), vector of Leishmania infantum (Nicolle 1937), in the Pantanal region of Miranda-Abobral. Other vector species, Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira 1942), Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva 1912), Nyssomyia antunesi (Coutinho 1939), Nyssomyia intermedia (Lutz & Neiva 1912), Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto 1926), and Nyssomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho 1939), are reported in the entire area of the state. Maps containing the distribution of sandflies on Mato Grosso do Sul biomes were produced. The eclecticism of the species in relation to their ecotypes was observed, with several species using the three biome types as habitats and breeding sites., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected vector-borne disease associated with socioeconomic and environmental issues. In Brazil, epidemics of VL have occurred in major cities since 1980. Applied models for medical and epidemiological research have been used to assess the distribution and characteristics of disease endpoints and identify and characterize potential risk factors. This study described the demographic features of VL and modeled the spatio-temporal distribution of human VL cases and their relationship with underlying predicitve factors using generalized additive models. We conducted an ecological study covering an 18-year period from the first report of an autochthonous case of VL in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in 2001 to 2018. The urban area of the city has 74 neighborhoods, and they were the units of analysis of our work. Socioeconomic and demographic data available from Brazilian public databases were considered as covariables. A total of 1,855 VL cases were reported during the study period, with an annual mean incidence rate of 13.23 cases per 100,000 population and a cumulative crude incidence of 235.77 per 100,000 population. The results showed the rapid transition from epidemic to endemic and the centrifugal dispersal pattern of the disease. Moreover, the model highlighted that the urban quality of life index, which is calculated based on income, education, housing conditions, and environmental sanitation data, plays a role in VL occurrence. Our findings highlighted the potential for improving spatio-temporal segmentation of control measures and the cost-effectiveness of integrated disease management programs as soon as VL is difficult to control and prevent and has rapid geographical dispersion and increased incidence rates., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.