Natural infection of Aedes aegypti by Chikungunya and Dengue type 2 Virus in a transition area of north-northeast Brazil

Dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika are diseases caused by viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Brazil, the number of human infections is high, but few studies are performed in mosquito vectors. This study aimed to investigate the presence of Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from the municipalities of Alto Alegre, Caxias, Codó, and São Mateus do Maranhão, located in the state of Maranhão, Northeast Brazil. The mosquitoes were collected with a mechanical aspirator, identified, triturated, and then submitted to RNA extraction and RT-qPCR. The positive samples were confirmed by virus isolation and genome sequencing. Three hundred and forty-eight Ae. aegypti (176 males and 172 females) and 12 Ae. albopictus (eight males and four females) were collected and tested. Ae. aegypti was the only vector positive in two municipalities-Codó, with detection of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) belonging to the East-Central-South African genotype, and in Caxias, with detection of Dengue virus (DENV)-2 belonging to the Asian/American genotype. The detection of CHIKV and DENV-2 is evidence that those viruses are maintained in arthropod vectors, and shows the epidemiological risk in the area for chikungunya cases and a possible increase of severe dengue cases, associated with the occurrence of dengue hemorrhagic fever. © 2019 by the authors

Sinopse do grupo salina do gênero Rhagovelia (Insecta: Hemiptera: Veliidae), com descrição de nova espécie e chave de identificação

Rhagovelia bentoi sp. nov., from the state of Pará, northern Brazil, is described, illustrated, and compared with other species of the genus. Rhagovelia ephydros (Drake & Van Doesburg) and R. plumbea Uhler are redescribed and recorded for the first time from Brazil. Diagnosis, maps, and an identification key to all species of the salina group are also presented.CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoNo presente estudo, uma nova espécie do grupo salina é descrita, duas outras são redescritas e uma chave de identificação para todas as espécies do grupo é apresentada. São apresentadas, também, uma diagnose, listas sinonímicas e bibliográficas, e mapas com a distribuição para as espécies do grupo, sendo que para algumas delas a distribuição é ampliada para o Brasil