Sylvan Yellow Fever Vectors: Updating the distribution of these mosquito species (Diptera:Culicidae) in Argentina

CANO, M. E; MUTTIS, E; BALSALOBRE, A; CHUCHUY, A; BONICA M.B; CECCARELLI, S; MARTI G.A; MICIELI M.V

Congreso; Latin American Society for Vector Ecology - LASOVE; 2019

Yellow fever(YF) is an endemic disease in tropical areas of Africa and South America whoseetiologic agent is the yellow fever virus (YFV) (Flaviviridae). This disease presentsa sylvan cycle involving nonhuman primates (NHP) and diurnal mosquitoes (Haemagogus sp. and Sabethes sp.) that breed in these areas where humans might beincidentally infected and an urban cycle where the virus circulates among Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and humans.There is no intermediate cycle known so far in South America, and it ispresumed that the dispersion to urban areas would be due to sporadic bites tohumans in the sylvan areas where wild mosquitoes feed on monkeys Alouatta and Cebus genera, which are the main host/reservoirs of YFV. InArgentina, between 2007 and 2008, epizootics were reported in howler monkeys,causing high mortality in natural populations. This reemergence of YFrepresents a risk for human populations, and it is necessary to conduct studieson distribution geographic patterns of sylvan mosquito species that areinvolved in these epizootics. These species have been poorly reported in thelast years (mainly in Yungas and Paranaense phytogeographic provinces),although their historical distribution covers all of Northern Argentina. Inthis study, we developed a database which gathers all the information availablein literature and biological collections. Following the format of DarwinCore,the database includes 76 fields grouped in categories: systematic,administrative divisions, geographical coordinates, specimen collection date,name/s of specimen collector/s, sampled habitat, sampling protocol, total numberof individuals sampled, references of the record. Recently, 35 scientificpublications were reviewed and the database consists of 445 records. Once thesewere obtained, distribution maps were made through QGIS. The resulting maps ofthe genera Haemagogus sp. and Sabethes sp. showed that despite havingreviewed 35 from approximately 100 papers (35%), it is already possible toconfirm the original areas in addition to finding records in different areassuch as the Chaco phytogeographic province. Furthermore, field studies to becarried out in the coming years, will be conducted to update this speciesdistribution patterns and corroborate their historical distribution