Genipa americana L. (Rubiaceae), a tropical plant with sandfly repelling properties

Resumen

Sandfiies of the genera Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus (Díptera: Psychodidae) are worldwide vectors of leishmaniosis, bartonellosis, other protozoal, bacterial and viral diseases. The transmission of these pathogens occurs when infected female sandfiies feed on humans. Lutzomyia is present in Perú, where 145 species have been reported to date, 25 % of them being anthropophilic to some degree. In Perú in 2004, bartonellosis affected 11 005 persons and leishmaniosis 6 573.