Sandflies (Diptera : Psychodidae) in an outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the State of Minas Gerais

Between January and December 2000, systematic monthly capture of phlebotomine sandflies was undertaken by means of light traps of CDC type in Brejo do Mutambal, an endemic area for American cutaneous leishmaniasis located in the municipality of Varzelandia, State of Minas Gerais. Nineteen phlebotomine species were captured, totaling 6,756 specimens. The species correlated with ACL transmission were captured in low numbers, as follows: Lutzomyia intermedia (5.1%), L. migonei (0.4%) and L. whitmani (0.1%). Lutzomyia longipalpis was the predominant species captured (34.8%), thus also suggesting a risk of visceral leishmaniasis transmission. The proportion of sandflies captured in area surrounding homes was 91.7% while 8.3% were captured inside homes. The interference of climatic factors (temperature, relative air humidity and rainfall) on phlebotomine population dynamics was evaluated.