Abstract
BackgroundCurrent Chagas disease vector control strategies, based on chemical insecticide spraying, are growingly threatened by the emergence of pyrethroid-resistant Triatoma infestans populations in the Gran Chaco region of South America.Methodology and findingsWe have already shown that the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana has the ability to breach the insect cuticle and is effective both against pyrethroid-susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant T. infestans, in laboratory as well as field assays. It is also known that T. infestans cuticle lipids play a major role as contact aggregation pheromones. We estimated the effectiveness of pheromone-based infection boxes containing B. bassiana spores to kill indoor bugs, and its effect on the vector population dynamics. Laboratory assays were performed to estimate the effect of fungal infection on female reproductive parameters. The effect of insect exuviae as an aggregation signal in the performance of the infection boxes was estimated both in the laboratory and in the field. We developed a stage-specific matrix model of T. infestans to describe the fungal infection effects on insect population dynamics, and to analyze the performance of the biopesticide device in vector biological control.ConclusionsThe pheromone-containing infective box is a promising new tool against indoor populations of this Chagas disease vector, with the number of boxes per house being the main driver of the reduction of the total domestic bug population. This ecologically safe approach is the first proven alternative to chemical insecticides in the control of T. infestans. The advantageous reduction in vector population by delayed-action fungal biopesticides in a contained environment is here shown supported by mathematical modeling.
Highlights
Chagas disease, caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most important vector-borne disease in Latin America
The pheromone-containing infective box is a promising new tool against indoor populations of this Chagas disease vector, with the number of boxes per house being the main driver of the reduction of the total domestic bug population
We developed a stage-specific matrix model based on the seven stages of T. infestans: the egg, the five nymphal instars, and the adult stage; the model is a female-only model; the nymphal stages cannot be differentiated by sex, but no sex-ratio correction was needed because the sexratio of eggs after being laid is 1:1, and there is no sex-bias in the susceptibility to the fungal pathogen
Summary
Chagas disease, caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most important vector-borne disease in Latin America. It currently affects about 7–8 M people [1]. Residual spray with chemical insecticides has been the major vector control strategy, showing a significant success in reducing the transmission in many areas of the so called Southern Cone Initiative (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) launched in 1991 [2]. Current Chagas disease vector control strategies, based on chemical insecticide spraying, are growingly threatened by the emergence of pyrethroid-resistant Triatoma infestans populations in the Gran Chaco region of South America
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