First report of mixed Trypanosoma cruzi discrete typing units infection in Triatoma phyllosoma in the peri-urban environment of Oaxaca, Mexico.

Abstract

Chagas disease, a zoonosis transmitted mainly by hematophagous insects of the subfamily Triatominae, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, classified into six discrete typing units (DTUs: TcI-TcVI and Tcbat). Insect vectors were collected from 84 human dwellings in the municipality of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico; 4.76% were infested. DTUs were determined using conventional and nested PCR. The infection rate was 43.6%. All insects were infected with TcI while one specimen showed mixed infection with TcII. This is the first report of T. cruzi mixed infection in Triatoma phyllosoma, its main vector in the study region.