Abstract
INTRODUCTION Natural and artificial ecotope infestation by the kissing bug triatomines and their colonization and infection by Trypanosoma cruzi , the Chagas disease agent, were evaluated in nine municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. METHODS Following identification, triatomine intestinal contents were analyzed by direct microscopic examination, xenoculture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for parasite detection. Trypanosoma cruzi isolates were genotyped using three different markers. RESULTS Of 842 triatomines captured, 65% were Triatoma brasiliensis , 17.8% Triatoma pseudomaculata , 12.5% Panstrongylus lutzi , and 4.7% Rhodnius nasutus . Triatoma brasiliensis and P. lutzi adults were found in the intradomicile. T. brasiliensis, T. pseudomaculata , and R. nasutus nymphs and adults were found in the peridomicile and wild environment. Intradomiciliary and peridomiciliary infestation indexes were 5.6% and 33.7%, respectively. In the peridomicile, chicken coops were the most infested ecotope. The T. cruzi triatomine infection rate was 30.2%, of which PCR detected 29%. P . lutzi (78.1%), T . brasiliensis (24.5%), and T . pseudomaculata (22.7%) were the most infected species. TcII and III genotypes were detected in T. brasiliensis and TcIII in P. lutzi . CONCLUSIONS T. brasiliensis was found in all environments and most ecotopes with high T. cruzi infection rates. High infection rates were also detected in T . pseudomaculata and P. lutzi , suggesting their role in the interchange between the wild and peridomestic transmission cycles. The combination of PCR, microscopic examination, and xenoculture contributed to improving T. cruzi infection evaluation in triatomine bugs. The TcII and TcIII genotypes were predominant in the study area.
Highlights
Natural and artificial ecotope infestation by the kissing bug triatomines and their colonization and infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease agent, were evaluated in nine municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Considered the main vector of T. cruzi in the Northeastern semiarid regions, it colonizes both sylvatic and domestic environments but is more frequently captured in peridomestic areas(5) (8) (9) (10) . (11) Triatomine control remains problematic as this region is the center of dispersion and has higher T. brasiliensis concentrations(12) (13) ; (14) it is further aggravated by local vector control activity discontinuation and wild and domestic environmental overlap(15) (16) . (17) Triatoma pseudomaculata demonstrates high domiciliation capacity, Barbosa-Silva AN - Triatomine infestation and infection by T. cruzi thereby increasing its colonization rate in several states(5) ; (18) such native triatomines that sporadically invade or reinvade human dwellings further complicate vector control consolidation(18)
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of triatomine infestation of natural and artificial ecotopes, and the colonization and T. cruzi infection in triatomines collected from different environments in the west and central mesoregions of the State Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil
Summary
Natural and artificial ecotope infestation by the kissing bug triatomines and their colonization and infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, the Chagas disease agent, were evaluated in nine municipalities of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, and its main vectors belong to the genera Panstrongylus, Rhodnius, and Triatoma. Among these blood-sucking reduviid bugs of the subfamily Triatominae, 70 of the over 148 Triatominae species described(1) are naturally infected by T. cruzi(2). The Brazilian Northeast, one of the poorest and most underdeveloped regions within Brazil, is considered the most important region therein for American trypanosomiasis, where native species like Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva, 1911, Triatoma pseudomaculata Corrêa and Espínola, 1964, Panstrongylus lutzi Neiva & Pinto, 1926, and Rhodnius nasutus Stal, 1859 are widespread(5) (6). (17) Triatoma pseudomaculata demonstrates high domiciliation capacity, Barbosa-Silva AN - Triatomine infestation and infection by T. cruzi thereby increasing its colonization rate in several states(5) ; (18) such native triatomines that sporadically invade or reinvade human dwellings further complicate vector control consolidation(18) Considered the main vector of T. cruzi in the Northeastern semiarid regions, it colonizes both sylvatic and domestic environments but is more frequently captured in peridomestic areas(5) (8) (9) (10) . (11) Triatomine control remains problematic as this region is the center of dispersion and has higher T. brasiliensis concentrations(12) (13) ; (14) it is further aggravated by local vector control activity discontinuation and wild and domestic environmental overlap(15) (16) . (17) Triatoma pseudomaculata demonstrates high domiciliation capacity, Barbosa-Silva AN - Triatomine infestation and infection by T. cruzi thereby increasing its colonization rate in several states(5) ; (18) such native triatomines that sporadically invade or reinvade human dwellings further complicate vector control consolidation(18)
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