Development and Reproduction of Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Under Laboratory Conditions

Abstract

The course of Trypanosom cruzi Chagas infection was studied in Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister) in the laboratory. We analyzed the number of ecdyses, mortality, and reproduction of this triatomine in relation to parasitemia. For infection, first and second instars of P. megistus were allowed to feed on albino mice infected with the VLE-95 strain of T. cruzi . The following reproductive parameters were investigated: egg production, fertility, number of fertile eggs that did not hatch, number of daughter nymphs that presented congenital alterations, number of matings of each couple, and life span of females. The results showed that the parasite did not alter the nymphal development ( P > 0.05) and ecdyses ( P > 0.05) of the triatomine. However, reproduction was significantly reduced in terms of all the items studied ( P 0.05) and for the number of daughter nymphs that presented congenital alterations ( P > 0.05).