BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an endemic disease in northeastern Argentina including the Corrientes province,
where the presence of the vector and canine cases of VL were recently confirmed in December 2008.
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess the modelling of micro- and macro-habitat variables to evaluate the urban
environmental suitability for the spatial distribution of
Lutzomyia longipalpis presence and abundance in an urban scenario.
METHODS Sampling of 45 sites distributed throughout Corrientes city (Argentina) was carried out using REDILA-BL minilight
traps in December 2013. The sampled specimens were identified according to methods described by Galati (2003). The analysis
of variables derived from the processing of satellite images (macro-habitat variables) and from the entomological sampling
and surveys (micro-habitat variables) was performed using the statistical software
R. Three generalised linear models were
constructed composed of micro- and macro-habitat variables to explain the spatial distribution of the abundance of
Lu. longipalpis
and one composed of micro-habitat variables to explain the occurrence of the vector.
FINDINGS A total of 609 phlebotominae belonging to five species were collected, of which 56% were
Lu. longipalpis. In
addition, the presence of
Nyssomyia neivai
and
Migonemya migonei
, which are vectors of tegumentary leishmaniasis, were also
documented and represented 34.81% and 6.74% of the collections, respectively. The explanatory variable normalised difference
vegetation index (NDVI) described the abundance distribution, whereas the presence of farmyard animals was important for
explaining both the abundance and the occurrence of the vector.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS The results contribute to the identification of variables that can be used to establish priority areas for
entomological surveillance and provide an efficient transfer tool for the control and prevention of vector-borne diseases.
