Biomedical subjects
O P Forattini
Publications and source records attributed to O P Forattini.
[Epidemiologic significance of Aedes albopictus breeding places in bromeliads].
A breeding place of immature stages of Aedes albopictus in bromeliads is described. The epidemiological role of bromeliaceae as natural or artificial containers, is discussed. The ability of the mosquito to expand its habitat calls for attention especially as regards its adaptability as an invading species.
[Immature forms of anophelines in artificial containers].
Immature stages of Anopheles bellator and of An. argyritarsis were found in artificial containers. The great number of on-returnable containers now produced, may be playing an important role in the increase in the number of available breeding places for culicid mosquitoes.
[Culicidae mosquitoes as emerging vectors of diseases].
A review is presented of the relationships between the so-called emerging infectious diseases and what may be defined as emerging vectors. These include not only those that have recently appeared but also those that present remarkable behavioral changes. Specific factors leading to that emergence can be associated with the powerful human influence on the environment. So the man-made, i.e. anthropic environment, exercises a selective pressure inducing vector populations to adapt to new circumstances. These may arise from ecological, environmental, or demographic factors that increase contact with the new vector. With this in mind, data on anomalous Culicidae breeding places in the Americas are reported. An interpretation of these findings is offered in the light of epidemiological surveillance. The question is whether vector emergence or re-emergence may constitute an epidemiological problem. Thus it is suggested that plane for all inclusive surveillance be prepared.
[New findings of Anopheles mosquitoes in artificial containers].
New findings of Anopheles mosquitoes in artificial containers are reported. In one, a plastic container served as a breeding place for Anopheles bellator larvae and, in another, four instar larvae of An. albitarsis s.l. were found in an abandoned toilet basin. Reflections are offered as to the selective pressure represented by the production, of an ever increasing scale, of disposable objects.
Ultrastructure of eggs of Anopheles rondoni, Anopheles lutzii, and Anopheles parvus, three species of the subgenus Nyssorhynchus.
The ultrastructures of the eggs of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) rondoni (Neiva & Pinto), Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) lutzii Cruz, and Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) parvus (Chagas) are described and illustrated with scanning electron micrographs. The egg of Anopheles rondoni is similar in several respects to those of other species of the Argyritarsis Section. The egg of An. lutzii is similar to that of Anopheles antunesi Galvão and Amaral in having floats widely joined anteriorly on the ventral side, and the anterior end barely visible beyond the floats. The egg of An. parvus is remarkable in possessing an anterior fingerlike structure that bears several lobed tubercles at the apex. The fingerlike structure and the micropyle are within the prominent anterior crown formed by the frill. The egg of An. parvus has floats with the anterior pole uppermost, which is an unusual position for Anopheles.
[The international language of science].
There is a trend, with a view to achieving greater scientific visibility and international projection, that favors the adoption of the English language in Brazilian journals dealing with nosological problems. This argument is here questioned. Latin America is a large continent with characteristic health problems. Thus it is to be recommended that scientific public health journals should accept for publication papers written in the three main language: English, Portuguese and Spanish.
[Brazil and tropical medicine].
Endemic infectious diseases still constitute a threat to Latin American countries. In view of this, research on tropical medicine should be encouraged, particularly in countries like Brazil where this kind of scientific investigation was historically highly early in this century. It is suggested that more resources should be made available to stimulate such studies and the publication in English, Portuguese and Spanish.
[Breeding places of Aedes scapularis (Diptera: Culicidae) in artificial containers].
Breeding places of Aedes scapularis were found in the Ilha Comprida and Pariquera-Açu counties of S. Paulo State, Brazil. They included several types of artificial water container. As 270 (250 larvae and 20 pupae) immature forms were collected, the hypothesis is raised that behavioral change is occurring as a secondary adaptation, as a consequence of the anthropic environment. This tends toward a reduction in ground breeding places and, at the same time, to an increase in the number of artificial containers. So the synanthropic tendence of thus mosquito may be favored by or even be a result of the man-made environment. Reference is made to the epidemiological consequences of this phenomenon for encephalitis transmission specifically for the Southeastern region of Brazil.
[Productivity of a breeding place of Aedes albopictus in an urban environment].
INTRODUCTION: Aedes albopictus has been found at Cananeia city in the Southeastern State of S. Paulo, Brazil. A study was carried out to evaluate the productivity of its breeding place. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A container classified as large and permanent was chosen. Water had accumulated at the bottom and was rich in organic matter, mainly of vegetal origin. From November 1996 until May 1997, fortnightly observations were performed, sampling immature stages found in a seventh part of the container's total water volume (nearly 70 litres). Pupae were collected, identified and sexed. The productivity of the breeding place was estimated using Focks et al's. (1981) formula adapted for a single large container. At the same time adults were caught by using human bait and the aspiration of resting places. The first catch was performed at six meters from the breeding place studied. Williams' mean was calculated for the human bait and mean hourly density for the aspiration results of the resting places (Subbarao et al., 1988). RESULTS: Immature stages of Ae. albopictus represented 44.9% of the total collected through fifteen fortnightly regular samplings (November 1996 to May 1997). The pupae mean was 31.13 and so the emergence index was 2.1. Multiplied by seven the result was 14.7 as the estimated mean number of females per day produced in that container. Adult females caught on human bait gave a general Williams' mean of 30.7, while the mean hour by density was 9.2. According to the accumulated calculated adult number, 22.8 females per day were available to seek human bait, under the conditions of the observations performed. DISCUSSION: Counting pupae is an efficient method of estimating the productivity of the breeding place of Ae. albopictus. The richness of the organic matter in the water in the container made it quite inappropriate to establish comparisons with water reservoirs for domestic use. Nevertheless, a lack of or deficient maintenance approximate these containers to the one here studied. So cleaning is an important factor and it must be emphasized as necessary to prevent the installation of mosquito breeding. Though it is a distinct species it is reasonable to expect that the application of these study methods to Ae. aegypti would be useful in the attempt being made to eradicate this latter species from our country.
Description of the eggs of Anopheles (Kerteszia) laneanus and Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) antunesi (Diptera: Culicidae) by scanning electron microscopy.
The eggs of Anopheles laneanus Correa and Cerqueira and Anopheles antunesi Galvão and Amaral are described and illustrated with scanning electron micrographs. The egg of An. laneanus is compared with those of Anopheles cruzii Dyar and Knab and Anopheles bellator Dyar and Knab, and An. antunesi is compared with Anopheles lutzii Cruz and other Nyssorhynchus species.
[Scientific publication triad].
Considerations are made about the competitiveness, impactedness and internationality as characters required for the scientific publications evaluation in Brazil. The relative merits of this judgement system is appraised in the face of the Third World realities.
Studies on mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and anthropic environment. 11--Biting activity and blood-seeking parity of Anopheles (Kerteszia) in south-eastern Brazil.
An. (Ker.) cruzii and An. (Ker.) bellator were monitored by the use of human bait and Shannon trap collections during a one-year period in 1994. Indoor and outdoor collections were made on human bait and inside the forest environment a Shannon trap was used. Both were undertaken in the evening crepuscular period. Results showed a greater abundance of An. cruzii in the forest, where as An. bellator was more abundant in the domiciliary environment. Through the application of the Polovodova method an age grading was established. Computing the parous and nulliparous females with Christopher's Stage III and above, more than 30.0% of blood-seeking specimens of both anophelines had had a previous blood meal. The higher abundance of An. bellator as compared with that of An. cruzii in the domiciliary environment may be explained by the influence of the neighboring low-lying coastal islands of the estuary system.
Studies on mosquitoes (Diptera:Culicidae) and anthropic environment. 12-host-seeking behaviour of Anopheles albitarsis s.l. in south-eastern Brazil.
Results obtained with Anopheles albitarsis s.l. catches mainly performed through human bait at the Ribeira Valley region, SP (Brazil), are reported. Two species of the complex were recognized, namely An. albitarsis s.s. and species B. This latter predominated both in the rice fields and in the dwelling environments. The crepuscular rhythms showed an unimodal sunset pattern with most blood-seeking females caught during dusk. The absence of differences between indoor and outdoor behavior was confirmed for both species of the complex.
[Who, where, when, what and why?].
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Revision of the Spissipes Section of Culex (Melanoconion) (Diptera:Culicidae).
Twenty-two species in the Spissipes Section of Culex (Melanoconion) are recognized and two taxonomic changes are made: Culex alvarezi Sutil Oramas, Pulido Florenzano and Amarista Meneses is synonymized with Culex spissipes (Theobald), and Culex nicaroensis Duret has been determined not to belong to the subgenus Melanoconion and is here treated as a member of the genus Culex without subgeneric assignment. Descriptions of adult female and male, female cibarium, and genitalia of both sexes are provided. Eight groups and three subgroups are characterized. Available data on distribution and bionomics of each species are given. Maps showing the entire known range of the species are given. Keys for species identification based or morphological characters of adults and male genitalia are provided.
Studies on mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and anthropic environment. 7-behaviour of adults Nyssorhynchus anophelines with special reference to Anopheles albitarsis s.l. in south-eastern Brazil.
Results obtained with catches performed at several sites of the Ribeira Valley, SP (Brazil) are reported. Collections with Shannon type traps showed a concentration of An.albitarsis s.l. in the Experimental Farm of Pariquera-Açu County, associated with the development of irrigated rice cultivation. Two species of the complex, named A and B, were recognized. Species B predominated in the samples. Indoor and outdoor crepuscular human bait captures were performed a the domiciliary environment. The two species showed a generally low William's media valve of 0.2, the highest value obtained was 1.6. No differences were found between indoor and outdoor behaviours between the two species of the complex.