Phlebotomine sandfly species from an American visceral leishmaniasis area in the Northern Rainforest region of Pernambuco State, Brazil

The aim of this study was to identify the fauna of phlebotomine sandflies in an area with incidence of American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) in São Vicente Férrer, a municipality (county) located in the northern Zona da Mata in Pernambuco State, Brazil. Sandfly captures were conducted monthly for four nights/month from December 2002 to November 2003, by means of manual captures (with a Shannon trap) and by CDC light traps. A total of 23,156 specimens of phlebotomines sandflies were collected in a remnant of the Atlantic rainforest, houses, and animal shelters. Lutzomyia complexa was the most prevalent species, with a frequency of 62.5% (14,445/23,156), followed by Lutzomyia migonei, with 33.2% (7,677/23,156). No Lutzomyia longipalpis (the main vector of Leishmania chagasi in Brazil and the Americas) was found in the target area. Some specimens were dissected, but no Leishmania parasites were found.