A new species of Culex (Melanoconion) from Southern Brazil (Diptera: Culicidae)

A new species from Southern Brazil, named Culex (Melanoconion) ribeirensis is described. The description includes adults, pupal and larval stages, illustrating the morphological aspects and a picture of a breeding place. Some data about known distribution and bionomics are presented.Descreve-se nova espécie, denominada Culex (Melanoconion) ribeirensis, da região meridional do Brasil, incluindo localidades dos Estados de São Paulo e do Rio de Janeiro. A descrição inclui as formas adultas, pupal e larval, e é acompanhada de ilustrações representativas desses estádios, além do aspecto de um criadouro natural. Apresentam-se também alguns dados sobre a distribuição geográfica, até agora conhecida, e do comportamento dessa espécie

Estudos sobre algumas espécies de Culex (Melanoconion), com a descrição de uma nova, da região meridional do Brasil

Redescreve-se a espécie Culex (Melanoconion) oedipus Root e Cx. (Mel.) plectoporpe Root, bem como descreve-se outra nova, denominada Cx. (Mel.) rabelloi. O material de estudo foi coletado no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. As descrições incluem as formas adultas, pupais e larvais, e são acompanhadas de ilustrações representativas desses estágios, além de aspectos de criadouros naturais. Apresentam-se também alguns dados sobre a distribuição geográfica, conhecida até agora, e de comportamento dessas espécies. Assinala-se que as evidências indicam apreciável adaptabilidade desses três culicídeos ao ambiente artificial humano.Redescription of Culex (Melanoconion) oedipus Root and of Cx. (Mel.) plectoporpe Root, as well as the description of a new one, named Cx. (Mel.) rabelloi, are made. The material was collected in S.Paulo State, Southern Brazil. The descriptions include adults, pupal and larval stages, illustrating the morphological aspects and with pictures of breeding places. Some data about known distribution and bionomics are presented, remarking that all the three species seem to be closely associated with artificial manmade enviroments

The Anopheles albitarsis complex with the recognition of Anopheles oryzalimnetes Wilkerson and Motoki, n. sp. and Anopheles janconnae Wilkerson and Sallum, n. sp. (Diptera: Culicidae)

The Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) albitarsis complex includes six species: An. albitarsis, Anopheles oryzalymnetes Wilkerson and Motoki, n. sp., Anopheles marajoara, Anopheles dencorum, Anopheles janconnae Wilkerson and Sallum, n. sp., and An. albitarsis F. Except for An. deancorum, species of the complex are indistinguishable when only using morphology. The problematic distinction among species of the complex has made study of malaria transmission and ecology of An. albitarsis s.l. difficult. Consequently, involvement of species of the An. albitarsis complex in human Plasmodium transmission is not clear throughout its distribution range. With the aim of clarifying the taxonomy of the above species, with the exception of An. albitarsis F, we present comparative morphological and morphometric analyses, morphological redescriptions of three species and descriptions of two new species using individuals from populations in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Venezuela. The study included characters from adult females, males, fourth-instar larvae, pupae and male genitalia of An. albitarsis, An. deaneorum and An. oryzalimnetes n. sp. For An. janconnae n. sp. only characters of the female, male and male genitalia were analysed. Fourth-instar larvae and pupae and male genitalia characteristics of all five species are illustrated. Bionomics and distribution data are given based on published literature record

Redescription of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral and description of a new species of the Myzorhynchella Section (Diptera: Culicidae) from Serra da Mantiqueira, Brazil

Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) pristinus Nagaki & Sallum, n. sp. of the Myzorhynchella Section is described based on morphological characters of adult females, males, fourth-instar larvae, pupae and male genitalia. Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi Galvão & Amaral is characterized to fix its identity and distinguish it from An. pristinus. The eggs of An. antunesi are described for the first time. Molecular characterization employing sequences of the COI mitochondrial gene and the ITS2 region of ribosomal DNA are provided for each species. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are compared with morphologically similar species of the Myzorhynchella Section. The results of the present study suggest that the new species has been misidentified as both An. antunesi and Anopheles lutzii Cruz. An. antunesi and An. pristinus are sympatric, occurring at high altitudes in Serra da Mantiqueira, southeastern BrazilFAPESP 2005/53973-0, 07/01870-8, CNPq 300351/2008-

Malaria Transmission in South America—Present Status and Prospects for Elimination

Four countries (Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela) together contributed ~80% of the 875,000 malaria cases reported in the Latin American region (2016). During the 10-year period (2005–2015) when global malaria incidence was dramatically reduced, Brazil and Colombia were an integral part of this trend, on track to meet the mid-term 2020 goal established by the World Health Organization. In Colombia, since 2015 at the cessation of a five-year globally funded malaria program, both incidence and proportion of Plasmodium falciparum infections have increased, mainly due to the budget constraints. Similarly, despite a strong record and major recognition for reducing malaria, in 2017, Brazil has seen a resurgence of malaria cases, but no increase in the proportion of Plasmodium falciparum to P. vivax. A globally funded malaria control program in Peru from 2005 to 2010 resulted in appreciable reduction in the annual parasitic incidence down to 1/1000 by 2011–2012, but soon after, the annual malaria incidence began to rise and by the end of 2017, there were 53,261 reported cases. To add to Venezuela’s political and financial woes, malaria continues to increase, such that, 300,189 cases were reported by the end of week 42, 2017. The only rational pathway to malaria elimination is sustained nation-level financial support that does not fall prey to political vicissitudes

Coleção Entomológica de Referência: 85 anos de contribuições à saúde pública

The Department of Hygiene of the Faculty of Medicine of São Paulo (FMUSP), organized with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, became the Institute of Hygiene, with the inaugural class taught by Samuel Darling in 1918. The history of Public Health Entomology is mixed with that of the Institute itself, which became the Faculty of Hygiene and Public Health in 1945. Still in the 1930s, Paulo César de Azevedo Antunes and John Lane organized Public Health Entomology within the Medical Parasitology area of the then Institute of Hygiene. During this period, the entomology laboratory came to be recognized for its research in the systematics of hematophagous insects, as well as in the ecology, biology and behavior of vectors. The Entomological Reference Collection (CER) originated naturally from the research of Paulo César Antunes and John Lane and is a national and international heritage covering primary and secondary types of insect species that are of interest to public health. Over the years, it has been consolidated with the efforts of Augusto Ayroza Galvão, Renato Corrêa, José Coutinho, Nelson Cerqueira, Ernesto Rabello, Oswaldo Forattini and others. In its over eighty years of activities, CER has enabled the training of several scientists able to act in programs of surveillance and control of endemic diseases associated with insect vectors throughout Latin America, in addition to training taxonomists focused on insects of interest in Public Health. Researchers from other Brazilian institutes and abroad joined the entomology laboratory because of its importance and the research developed in it. The growing scientific production made it possible for entomological studies developed at the Faculty of Public Health (FSP) to gain international visibility, contributing to the development of disease prevention and epidemic control actions in the country.O Departamento de Higiene da Faculdade de Medicina de São Paulo (FMUSP), organizado com o apoio da Fundação Rockefeller, tornou-se o Instituto de Higiene, tendo a aula inaugural ministrada por Samuel Darling em 1918. A história da Entomologia de Saúde Pública confundese com a do próprio Instituto, que passou a ser a Faculdade de Higiene e Saúde Pública em 1945. Ainda na década de 1930, Paulo César de Azevedo Antunes e John Lane começam a organizar a Entomologia de Saúde Pública dentro da Parasitologia Médica, do então Instituto de Higiene. Durante esse período o laboratório de entomologia passou a ser reconhecido por suas pesquisas em sistemática de insetos hematófagos, bem como na ecologia, biologia e comportamento de vetores. A Coleção Entomológica de Referência (CER) originou-se naturalmente das pesquisas de Paulo César Antunes e John Lane e é um patrimônio nacional e internacional abrangendo tipos primários e secundários de espécies de insetos que apresentam interesse à saúde pública. No decorrer dos anos, consolidou-se com os esforços de Augusto Ayroza Galvão, Renato Corrêa, José Coutinho, Nelson Cerqueira, Ernesto Rabello, Oswaldo Forattini e outros. Em seus mais de oitenta anos de atividades, a CER possibilitou a formação de diversos cientistas aptos a atuar em programas de vigilância e controle de endemias associadas aos insetos vetores em toda a América Latina, além de formar taxonomistas voltados aos insetos de interesse em Saúde Pública. Pesquisadores de outros institutos brasileiros e do exterior juntaram-se ao laboratório de entomologia por conta de sua importância e das pesquisas nele desenvolvidas. A produção científica crescente possibilitou aos estudos entomológicos desenvolvidos na Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP) adquirirem uma visibilidade internacional, contribuindo para o desenvolvimento das ações de prevenções de doenças e controle de epidemias no país

THE USE OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE DETERMINATION OF AREAS AT RISK OF DENGUE IN THE SÃO PAULO STATE

The Dengue Virus is a Flavivirus transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes. This arbovirus is responsible for one of the main problems of global public health, because it is estimated that over 80 million people are infected by it every year. In Brazil there are reports that dengue fever epidemics have been present from the beginning of the twentieth century. However, the first dengue fever outbreak documented in the country occurred in 1982. From that point on, the Brazilian territory has been plagued by several of these epidemics. Among the various attempts to elucidate the factors that influence the dynamics of the transmission of dengue fever, the Brazilian Ministry of Health reorganized, in 2002, the National Plan to Combat Dengue Fever and instituted a normative procedure by which the areas affected by this epidemic should be mapped. The use of geographical information systems is a powerful tool for the spatial analysis of risk; by this means the spatial distribution of the event can be described and associations between an event and its determinants can be observed. Based on these assumptions this study aims to determine the geospatial patterns of dengue fever outbreaks in S„o Paulo State, Brazil. This region has been seriously affected by successive epidemics during the last 15 years. We have used conventional and spatial analytical tools (geostatistics analysis) to discern the patterns of the epidemic scenarios. Results showed that dengue fever outbreaks have affected two principal areas of risk: one located in the northwest and the other in the central-south portion of the S„o Paulo Stat

Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) assemblages associated with Nidularium and Vriesea bromeliads in Serra do Mar, Atlantic Forest, Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The most substantial and best preserved area of Atlantic Forest is within the biogeographical sub-region of Serra do Mar. The topographic complexity of the region creates a diverse array of microclimates, which can affect species distribution and diversity inside the forest. Given that Atlantic Forest includes highly heterogeneous environments, a diverse and medically important Culicidae assemblage, and possible species co-occurrence, we evaluated mosquito assemblages from bromeliad phytotelmata in Serra do Mar (southeastern Brazil).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Larvae and pupae were collected monthly from <it>Nidularium </it>and <it>Vriesea </it>bromeliads between July 2008 and June 2009. Collection sites were divided into landscape categories (lowland, hillslope and hilltop) based on elevation and slope. Correlations between bromeliad mosquito assemblage and environmental variables were assessed using multivariate redundancy analysis. Differences in species diversity between bromeliads within each category of elevation were explored using the Renyi diversity index. Univariate binary logistic regression analyses were used to assess species co-occurrence. </p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 2,024 mosquitoes belonging to 22 species were collected. Landscape categories (pseudo-F value = 1.89, p = 0.04), bromeliad water volume (pseudo-F = 2.99, p = 0.03) and bromeliad fullness (Pseudo-F = 4.47, p < 0.01) influenced mosquito assemblage structure. Renyi diversity index show that lowland possesses the highest diversity indices. The presence of <it>An. homunculus </it>was associated with <it>Cx. ocellatus </it>and the presence of <it>An. cruzii </it>was associated with <it>Cx. neglectus, Cx. inimitabilis fuscatus </it>and <it>Cx. worontzowi. Anopheles cruzii </it>and <it>An. homunculus </it>were taken from the same bromeliad, however, the co-occurrence between those two species was not statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>One of the main findings of our study was that differences in species among mosquito assemblages were influenced by landscape characteristics. The bromeliad factor that influenced mosquito abundance and assemblage structure was fullness. The findings of the current study raise important questions about the role of <it>An. homunculus </it>in the transmission of <it>Plasmodium </it>in Serra do Mar, southeastern Atlantic Forest.</p