Seasonal dynamics of sand flies in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park: a tourist destination and endemic area for leishmaniasis

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP) in Northeast Brazil, a popular tourist destination, is also an endemic area for leishmaniasis due to the presence of sand fly species that serve as vectors for Leishmania. A seven-year study revealed that Lutzomyia longipalpis and Nyssomyia whitmani were the most abundant sand fly species, with their populations peaking from April to June. These patterns were influenced by environmental factors such as humidity, temperature, and wind speed, which showed a significant correlation with sand fly abundance. Notably, tourist visits to LMNP coincide with high sand fly activity during the rainy months (May-June) and the start of the rainy season (January-February), but no cases of infected tourists have been recorded, likely due to daytime visitation when sand flies are inactive. However, there is a potential risk if tourists engage in nighttime cultural visits to nearby villages where leishmaniasis cases occur annually.

Rebêlo, J. M. M., Bandeira, M. d. C. A., Moraes, J. L. P., Boas, I. V., Fonteles, R. S., Dominici Cruz, L., & Rodrigues, B. L. (2024). Seasonal dynamics of sand flies in Lençóis Maranhenses National Park: a tourist destination and endemic area for leishmaniasis. Journal of Medical Entomology, 61(4), 900–910. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjae067