Correlation of the presence of phlebotominae species (Diptera: Psichodidae) with records of American tegumentary leishmaniasis cases in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

The study used environmental parameters associated with standardized coefficients incidence of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, between1986 and 1995. In the 140 municipalities with leishmaniasis transmission, the entomological collection of sandflies showed the most frequent species collected in the domestic environment: Lutzomyia intermedia was present in 87.7% of the surveyed municipalities, L. whitmani in 53.6%, L. migonei in 49.7%, L. pessoai in 28.5% and L. fischeri in 53.6%. It was found that the topographical relief and natural vegetation cover significantly influenced the mean values of standardized coefficients of accumulated incidence of ATL in the state (p < 0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that incidence of the disease was significantly associated with the presence of L. migonei (p = 0.029), in the municipalities of the Atlantic Plateau geomorphological region (p = 0.005) and those in which predominant vegetation cover was Type V forest (p < 0.001). This analysis reinforces the hypothesis that L. migonei is a vector for Leishmania in São Paulo State.

Lutzomyia migonei; American cutaneous leishmaniasis; Epidemiology