Flebotomíneos - Importância, Diversidade e sua importância Na Transmissão das Leishmanioses
Flebotomíneos - Importância, Diversidade e sua importância Na Transmissão das Leishmanioses
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DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.9752325093
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Palavras-chave: Flebotomíneos, Psychodidae, Phlebotomus, Lutzomyia
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Keywords: Phlebotomine sand flies, Psychodidae, Phlebotomus, Lutzomyia
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Abstract: Phlebotomine sand flies are small insects belonging to the family Psychodidae and subfamily Phlebotominae, known as sandflies. They play a crucial role in public health as they act as vectors for parasites of the genus Leishmania, responsible for the transmission of leishmaniases, a group of neglected tropical diseases. These insects are widely distributed in various regions of the world, being most common in the Neotropical Region. There are about 900 known species of phlebotomine sand flies, with the genera Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia being the main ones involved in the transmission of Leishmania in the Old World and the New World, respectively. Phlebotomine sand flies have crepuscular and nocturnal habits, being attracted to sources of heat and humidity. Females are responsible for disease transmission, feeding on the blood of mammals, including humans, to meet their reproductive needs. Males, on the other hand, feed on nectar and fruit juices. The life cycle of phlebotomine sand flies consists of egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Larvae develop in places rich in decomposing organic matter, usually of plant origin. Adults have a relatively short lifespan, living on average from 10 to 20 days. Identifying the blood-feeding sources of phlebotomine sand flies is of great epidemiological importance, allowing us to understand their relationship with reservoir hosts and disease transmission dynamics. Molecular techniques, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), have been used to identify the blood-feeding sources of these insects. Additionally, molecular biology techniques have also been applied to detect and identify Leishmania spp. infections in phlebotomine sand flies. PCR-RFLP is one of the most commonly used techniques for this purpose, enabling the identification of the parasite's DNA in the vector insect. The faunistic diversity of phlebotomine sand flies varies according to the region and human interference in the environment. In this mini-review, we present some aspects of the biology of phlebotomine sand flies.
- Adalberto Alves Pereira Filho