scholarly journals A Triatoma maculata (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) population from Roraima, Amazon region, Brazil, has some bionomic characteristics of a potential Chagas disease vector

2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Francisco Luitgards-Moura ◽  
André Barbosa Vargas ◽  
Carlos Eduardo Almeida ◽  
Gleidson Magno-Esperança ◽  
Ronildo Agapito-Souza ◽  
...  

Even though Chagas disease is rare in the Brazilian Amazon, the conditions for the establishment of domiciliated cycles prevail in many areas where triatomines are of frequent occurrence. In Roraima, a previous serological and entomological survey in three agricultural settlements showed the existence of all transmission cycle elements, i.e., individuals infected by Trypanosoma cruzi, triatomine species previously found harboring T. cruzi in the broader Amazon region of neighboring countries and, domicile/ peridomicile conditions favorable to triatomine colonization. Triatoma maculata was the most frequent species, found in chicken houses in the peridomicile and sporadically within residences. Aiming to investigate the possibility of T. maculata to possess the potentiality to transmit T. cruzi in the area, bionomic characteristics were studied under laboratory conditions. These were feeding frequency, time for defecation after a blood meal, time elapsed in voluntary fasting pre- and pos-ecdysis, moulting time periods, pre-oviposition and oviposition periods and index of oviposition, incubation period, egg viability, longevity and mortality rate. Results show that the Passarão population of T. maculata should be considered a potential vector of T. cruzi since it shows a capacity to infest artificial ecotopes in the peridomicile, to carry out large number of meals during the nymphal cycle, to have a relatively short developmental cycle capable of producing 2.9 generations/year, to blood source eclecticism, to defecate immediately after the blood meal while still on the host and to the fact that has been previously found naturally infected by T.cruzi.

Author(s):  
José Francisco Luitgards-Moura ◽  
José Borges-Pereira ◽  
Jane Costa ◽  
Patrícia Lago Zauza ◽  
Maria Goreti Rosa-Freitas

Chagas disease has been almost entirely eradicated from the arid zones in Central and Northeastern Brazil where rare or no autochthonous cases have been reported. However, in the last 10 years the disease has increasingly been registered in the Amazon Region. Aiming to investigate the possibility of the occurrence of autochthonous cycle of Chagas disease in Roraima, triatomine collections, vectorial susceptibility studies (this one to be shown elsewhere), parasitological and serological analyses were conducted in three agricultural settlement areas (Rorainópolis, Passarão Project and Ilha Community). Blood-donor candidates were also investigated. This is the first epidemiological survey on Chagas disease conducted in agricultural settlements in Roraima. Triatomine species found were Triatoma maculata, Rhodnius pictipes, Rhodnius robustus and Panstrongylus geniculatus. Trypanosoma cruzi detection analyses included xenodiagnosis, indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemaglutination, ELISA and kinetoplast PCR amplification. Natural triatomine infection was not found in intestinal contents. Twenty-five adult settlers (1.4% out of 1821, all > 15 year-old, 20 migrants) presented anti-T. cruzi antibodies. Two migrant settlers (from Minas Gerais and Maranhão) tested positive for more than two serological tests, besides either being positive for xenodiagnosis or PCR. Results show that Chagas disease is not endemic in the areas studied. However, all elements of the transmission cycle are present, demanding for an adequate and continuous vigilance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-335
Author(s):  
K. C. Borsatto ◽  
K. C. C. Alevi ◽  
J. Oliveira ◽  
M. T. V. Azeredo-Oliveira

Abstract The Triatomini tribe consists of ten genera and is regarded as one of the most important tribes from epidemiological point of view. The genus Dipetalogaster Usinger, 1939 is composed only by the species Dipetalogaster maxima Uhler, 1894. This triatomine is exclusive of the Mexico and is a potential vector for Chagas disease. Besides the epidemiological importance, the insects of the Triatominae subfamily are important biological models for cytogenetic studies. Therefore, in order to contribute to the knowledge on the reproductive biology and assist in citotaxonomy of D. maxima, this study aimed to describe spermatogenesis, as well as confirm the karyotype and heterochromatic patterns of this Mexican triatomine species. The seminiferous tubules were torn, fixed to a cover slip and underwent the cytogenetic technique of Lacto-acetic orcein and C-banding. Through the cytogenetics analysis of testicular material D. maxima it was possible to confirm the karyotype (2n = 22), describe the stages of spermatogenesis and characterize the heterochromatic pattern (restricted to sex chromosome Y) of the species. D. maxima showed the same arrangement of heterochromatin described for Triatoma lecticularia (Stål, 1859) (a species that occur in United States of American and Mexico and is phylogenetically related with D. maxima), highlighting the importance of this analysis as an optimization tool to explore phylogenetic correlations.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Sofía Ocaña-Mayorga ◽  
Juan José Bustillos ◽  
Anita G. Villacís ◽  
C. Miguel Pinto ◽  
Simone Frédérique Brenière ◽  
...  

Understanding the blood meal patterns of insects that are vectors of diseases is fundamental in unveiling transmission dynamics and developing strategies to impede or decrease human–vector contact. Chagas disease has a complex transmission cycle that implies interactions between vectors, parasites and vertebrate hosts. In Ecuador, limited data on human infection are available; however, the presence of active transmission in endemic areas has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of hosts that serve as sources of blood for triatomines in domestic, peridomestic and sylvatic transmission cycles, in two endemic areas of Ecuador (central coastal and southern highland regions). Using conserved primers and DNA extracted from 507 intestinal content samples from five species of triatomines (60 Panstrongylus chinai, 17 Panstrongylus howardi, 1 Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus, 427 Rhodnius ecuadoriensis and 2 Triatoma carrioni) collected from 2006 to 2013, we amplified fragments of the cytb mitochondrial gene. After sequencing, blood meal sources were identified in 416 individuals (146 from central coastal and 270 from southern highland regions), achieving ≥ 95% identity with GenBank sequences (NCBI-BLAST tool). The results showed that humans are the main source of food for triatomines, indicating that human–vector contact is more frequent than previously thought. Although other groups of mammals, such as rodents, are also an available source of blood, birds (particularly chickens) might have a predominant role in the maintenance of triatomines in these areas. However, the diversity of sources of blood found might indicate a preference driven by triatomine species. Moreover, the presence of more than one source of blood in triatomines collected in the same place indicated that dispersal of vectors occurs regardless the availability of food. Dispersal capacity of triatomines needs to be evaluated to propose an effective strategy that limits human–vector contact and, in consequence, to decrease the risk of T. cruzi transmission.


2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrique de Barros Moreira Beltrão ◽  
Matheus de Paula Cerroni ◽  
Daniel Roberto Coradi de Freitas ◽  
Ana Yecê das Neves Pinto ◽  
Vera da Costa Valente ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Parra-Henao ◽  
Laura C. Suárez-Escudero ◽  
Sebastián González-Caro

Ecological niche modeling of Triatominae bugs allow us to establish the local risk of transmission of the parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi,which causes Chagas disease.This information could help to guide health authority recommendations on infection monitoring, prevention, and control. In this study, we estimated the geographic distribution of triatomine species in Colombia and identified the relationship between landscape structure and climatic factors influencing their occurrence. A total of 2451 records of 4 triatomine species (Panstrongylus geniculatus,Rhodnius pallescens,R. prolixus, andTriatoma maculata) were analyzed.The variables that provided more information to explain the ecologic niche of these vectors were related to precipitation, altitude, and temperature. We found that the species with the broadest potential geographic distribution wereP. geniculatus,R. pallescens, andR. prolixus. In general, the models predicted the highest occurrence probability of these vectors in the eastern slope of the Eastern Cordillera, the southern region of the Magdalena valley, and the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta.


2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel G. Guevara ◽  
Richard D. Atherton ◽  
Michael A. Wauters ◽  
Yosselin Vicuña ◽  
Marcos Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lúcia Aline Moura Reis ◽  
Eliana Vieira Pinto da Silva ◽  
Maria Nazaré Oliveira Freitas ◽  
Rossela Damasceno Caldeira ◽  
Pedro Arthur da Silva Araújo ◽  
...  

Abstract The West Nile virus is characterized as a neurotropic pathogen that causes the West Nile fever. It is transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly of the Culex genus. In 2018, the Evandro Chagas Institute carried out the first isolation of WNV strain from a horse brain sample and in 2021 the same institute also isolated the WNV in a pool of mosquitoes of the Culex spp. from the Carajás region (Pará). Thus, this study aimed to determine the vectorial competence of Culex quinquefasciatus from the Amazon region of Brazil for transmission the WNV Brazilian strain. Oral infection of Cx. quinquefasciatus females belonging to F1 generation was performed with infected blood with WNV. Subsequently, analysis of infection, dissemination and transmission rates was performed, as well as verification of viral titers in the samples. The study demonstrated that Cx. quinquefasciatus can act as a potential vector of WNV in Brazil, since it was found that the Brazilian strain was able to overcome the host's anatomical barriers and spread to various regions, among them in saliva, in which, despite the low viral titers identified, it had a transmission rate of 100% on the 21st day after infection.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudiney Biral dos Santos ◽  
Marcelo Teixeira Tavares ◽  
Gustavo Rocha Leite ◽  
Adelson Luiz Ferreira ◽  
Leonardo de Souza Rocha ◽  
...  

We report for the first time the parasitism of eggs of two triatomine Chagas disease vectors,Triatoma infestansandT. vitticeps, by the microhymenopterous parasitoidAprostocetus asthenogmus. We also describe the first identification of this parasitoid in South America.A. asthenogmuswere captured near unparasitized triatomine colonies in the municipality of Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, and placed into pots with recently laid triatomine eggs. After 24 days, we observed wasps emerging fromT. infestansandT. vitticepseggs. Several characteristics of this parasitoid species suggest that it could be a potential biological control agent of triatomine species.


Proteomes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radouane Ouali ◽  
Karen Caroline Valentim de Brito ◽  
Didier Salmon ◽  
Sabrina Bousbata

Chagas disease is one of the most common parasitic infections in Latin America, which is transmitted by hematophagous triatomine bugs, of which Rhodnius prolixus is the vector prototype for the study of this disease. The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of this disease, is transmitted by the vector to humans through the bite wound or mucosa. The passage of the parasite through the digestive tract of its vector constitutes a key step in its developmental cycle. Herewith, by a using high-throughput proteomic tool in order to characterize the midgut proteome of R. prolixus, we describe a set of functional groups of proteins, as well as the biological processes in which they are involved. This is the first proteomic analysis showing an elaborated hematophagy machinery involved in the digestion of blood, among which, several families of proteases have been characterized. The evaluation of the activity of cathepsin D proteases in the anterior part of the digestive tract of the insect suggested the existence of a proteolytic activity within this compartment, suggesting that digestion occurs early in this compartment. Moreover, several heat shock proteins, blood clotting inhibitors, and a powerful antioxidant enzyme machinery against reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell detoxification have been identified. Highlighting the complexity and importance of the digestive physiology of insects could be a starting point for the selection of new targets for innovative control strategies of Chagas disease.


2007 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Spitzner ◽  
Jorge Freitas ◽  
Andréa Macedo ◽  
Max Ornelas Toledo ◽  
Silvana Araújo ◽  
...  

AbstractEighteen strains of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from two species of triatomines in the state of Paraná, Brazil, were characterized molecularly using three strategies: RAPD (randomly amplified polymorphic DNA) with four primers, analysis of the D7 polymorphic region of the 24Sα rDNA, and RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) of region 5′ of the mitochondrial gene COII (cytochrome oxidase subunit 2). The phenogram constructed with the RAPD data showed that only three strains isolated from Panstrongylus megistus collected in the Municipality of Arapongas were grouped together in a sub-branch. None of the other 15 strains could be clustered according to triatomine species or geographical origin. The strains were grouped with the T. cruzi I reference sample, indicating closer association with the sylvatic transmission cycle of T. cruzi in the state of Paraná. However, analyses of the rDNA and COII gene polymorphisms revealed the presence of populations from both T. cruzi I and II major lineages. In half of the analyzed triatomines, we found parasites from both lineages coinfecting the same bugs. Of these, most (6/9) were isolated from Triatoma sordida, and 3/9 from Panstrongylus megistus. These results contribute to a better comprehension of the ecoepidemiology of Chagas’ disease in Paraná, and raise questions about the role of studies of polyclonal population dynamics for controlling the transmission of T. cruzi to humans in this region.


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