VECTOBOL (Vectors of Bolivia)
is a collaborative scientific initiative dedicated to the collection, documentation, and analysis of disease vector insects in Bolivia, including mosquitoes (Culicidae), sand flies (Phlebotominae), triatomine bugs (Triatominae), and other groups of public health importance, together with basic ecological data associated with field collections.
The main objective of VECTOBOL is to contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity, geographic distribution, and ecology of insect vectors in Bolivia, while strengthening the scientific information base available for research and entomological surveillance.
Founded in 2018, the strength of the VECTOBOL initiative lies in its georeferenced digital database, which is continuously updated by members of the network. This database stores standardized information on field collections, including geographic location, basic ecological data, and taxonomic identification of species. The data are shared among network members, while collected specimens are preserved in reference entomological collections.
In this way, VECTOBOL aims to become a collective memory and a national scientific reference repository for medical entomology in Bolivia.
VECTOBOL is supported by the LEMUMSS (Laboratory of Medical Entomology, Universidad Mayor de San Simón), in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The laboratory provides technical and scientific support to network members, particularly for data analysis, taxonomic identification, and the development and maintenance of entomological collections.
