In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis VL is caused by Leishmania chagasi parasites that are transmitted to man through the bites of infected females of Lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies.
In order to evaluate transmission risk and to clarify the epidemiology of this tropical disease, studies focused on the vector and favorable environmental conditions are of fundamental importance. During a two-year period, entomological captures were performed monthly in 15 districts with high, moderate and low profiles of VL transmission.
Most specimens were captured in the peri-domicile setting, although the number of specimens captured in the intra-domicile setting emphasises the anthropophilic behaviour of this insect. The population density of L. However, the pattern of distribution did not coincide with the occurrence of human or canine cases of VL. This suggests that the eco-epidemiology of VL is particular to each area of transmission and must be taken into account during the design of public health control actions.
Visceral leishmaniasis VL is a zoonotic disease that is endemic in many of the tropical countries around the globe. This disease has been considered an emerging disease that is still in expansion worldwide, and it has also been placed among the seven endemics of priority by the World Health Organization WHO Approximately million people are exposed to a possible risk of infection, and , individuals are currently infected WHO Typically regarded as a sylvatic disease of rural areas, the epidemiological profile of VL has changed with time to become a major urban concern Tauil A decrease in the availability of wild animals, mainly caused by environmental modifications associated with human migration from endemic areas to urban peripheries, has transformed domestic dogs and humans into tempting feeding alternatives for the phlebotomine sand fly vectors of VL.
Both parasites and phlebotomine vectors have become adapted to the environmental changes caused by anthropisation Ashford In Brazil, The disease was noted in the periphery of cities with varying sizes such as Porteirinha 39, inhabitants , Montes Claros , inhabitants and the state's capital of Belo Ho-rizonte 2,, inhabitants Silva et al.
