Feeding preference of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) in transmission area of visceral leishmaniasis in Mato Grosso

O estudo dos h??bitos alimentares e do conte??do intestinal dos flebotom??neos permite a identifica????o dos hospedeiros, indicando os potenciais reservat??rios das leishmanias. Este trabalho objetivou determinar a prefer??ncia alimentar de Lutzomyia longipalpise sua rela????o com a transmiss??o da leishmaniose visceral. As capturas mensais foram realizadas em ??rea de transmiss??o de leishmaniose visceral, munic??pio de V??rzea Grande, Estado de Mato Grosso, no per??odo de janeiro de 2004 a junho de 2006, utilizando-se armadilhas de luz CDC. Foram capturadas 2.376 f??meas de Lutzomyia longipalpis, das quais 104 (4,4%) estavam ingurgitadas, sendo 32 (30,8%) capturadas no intradomic??lio e 72 (69,2%) no peridomic??lio. Ap??s rea????o de precipitina, observou-se que as f??meas de Lutzomyia longipalpisalimentaram-se preferencialmente em aves (30,8%) e roedores (21,2%), mas tamb??m foram encontradas f??meas alimentadas de sangue de humanos, gamb??s, bois, cavalos e c??es, demonstrando o car??ter oportunista da esp??cie.Studies on the feeding habits and intestinal content of sandflies make it possible to identify hosts, thereby indicating potential reservoirs for Leishmania. The present study had the aim of determining the feeding preferences of Lutzomyia longipalpisand its relationship with the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis. Specimens were caught every month in a transmission area of visceral leishmaniasis, in the municipality of V??rzea Grande, State of Mato Grosso, from January 2004 to June 2006, using CDC light traps. 2,376 females of Lutzomyia longipalpiswere caught, of which 104 (4.4%) were engorged. Among these, 32 (30.8%) were caught inside homes and 72 (69.2%) in areas surrounding homes. From the precipitin reaction, it was observed that Lutzomyia longipalpisfemales fed preferentially on birds (30.8%) and rodents (21.2%), but they were also found to have fed on blood from humans, opossums, oxen, horses and dogs, thus demonstrating the opportunist nature of this species