Abstract
What is already known on this topic? Triatomines, also known as kissing bugs, are widespread vectors for Chagas disease which affects 6–8 million people worldwide. Two species of triatomines have been previously reported in China. What is added by this report? This study showed data from the first investigation of triatomine distribution in China. Triatoma rubrofasciata and a novel species of triatomine in 170 habitats in 30 cities in southern China were recorded in this investigation. What are the implications for public health practice? Considering the worldwide spread of Chagas disease and new species of trypanosomiasis, strengthening the monitoring of triatomines and their associated diseases in southern China is vital to prevent and control these diseases.
Highlights
Two species of triatomines were recorded in China thirty years ago, there has been little research on them
All the samples and data were sent to the National Institute of Parasitic Diseases (NIPD) of China CDC and were reviewed by experts
Triatoma rubrofasciata (T. rubrofasciata) and a novel species of triatomine in 170 habitats in 30 cities in southern China were recorded in this investigation and 99.42% (1,035/1,041) of them were detected around human residences
Summary
Distribution of Triatomines, the Vector of Chagas Disease — Southern China, 2016−2018. 1,041 triatomines were identified as T. rubrofasciata ((Figure 1A, 1B) based on morphology and were captured from 169 different sites distributed in 66 counties of 29 cities in the PLADs of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian. This result was far beyond historical records of T. rubrofasciata from 15 different sites in 13 counties of 11 cities before 2016 in museums and the literature (Figure 2A, 2B). A female specimen (Figure 1C, 1D) was captured in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province, which was different from the other recorded triatomines in both on morphology and molecular data. This triatomine was different from T. rubrofasciata and T. sinica [5], which are often recorded in China, and had the following
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