The U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment (NMRCD), Lima Peru, was established in 1983 through a cooperative agreement with the Peruvian Navy. The entomology department at NMRCD conducts basic and applied research in the surveillance and control of arthropod vectors of infectious diseases, primarily mosquito species that transmit malaria and dengue. Research in progress includes a study of the distribution of Anopheles darlingi, the principal South American vector of human malaria. Prior to 1994, this species was not reported in Iquitos, the largest urban center in the Peruvian Amazon. Currently the species is well established in the Eastern Amazon Basin; this region has experienced a dramatic increase in malaria incidence. Collections are being conducted in remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon to determine the current range of this species. Peru has also seen a resurgence of dengue in the past several years. Currently we are investigating whether dengue viruses circulate in sylvatic transmission cycles involving mosquitoes and nonhuman primates in the Peruvian Amazon. Sentinel monkeys have been placed in cages in the canopy and on the forest floor. Mosquitoes are collected and assayed for dengue viruses and monkeys examined for evidence of exposure to dengue. Another study in progress involves a comparison of trapping devices for adult Aedes aegypti, the principal urban vector of dengue. Four different trap types are being compared to human landing collections and backpack aspirator collections to determine the efficacy of these new trapping devices. The entomology department works closely with our Peruvian counterparts in surveillance for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, as well as providing training on new methods for vector-borne infectious disease surveillance. The NMRCD enjoys excellent relations with our Peruvian counterparts, and provides abundant opportunities to conduct important entomological research. The goal of this work is to help reduce the effect of vector-borne diseases on military personnel worldwide.
Species 1: Culicidae Culicinae Aedes aegypti (yellow fever mosquito)
Species 2: Diptera Culicinae Anopheles darlingi
Keywords: Entomology Research, NMRCD Lima
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA