Identification and characterization of the causative triatomine bugs of anaphylactic shock in Zhanjiang, China

Ya-Lan Huang,Li-Fei Peng,Fan Yang,Yi-Jun Tang,Wei-Hua Wu,Miao Wang,Qian Zhang,Xiao-Min Zhang,Ren-Li Zhang,Da-Na Huang

doi:10.1186/s40249-018-0509-1

Abstract

BackgroundTwo health concerns primarily related to triatomine bugs are transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi through infective feces, and allergic reactions induced by triatomine bites. In the Southwestern United States, reduviid bugs bites commonly cause insect allergy. In South China, four cases of anaphylactic shock have been reported after this bite exposure. To further classify the species of these bugs and confirm the sensitization of the triatomine saliva, we caught triatomine bugs from the region where the bites occurred and performed phylogenetic and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis.MethodsTriatomine bugs were collected in Donghai Island of Zhanjiang City in South China. The genomic DNA was extracted from three legs of the bugs. The fragments of mitochondrial 16S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and nuclear ribosomal 18S and 28S rRNA genes were obtained by PCR and sequenced. A phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the sequence of 16S rRNA gene using a maximum likelihood method with MEGA 7.0 software. Trypanosomal specific fragments and vertebrate COI genes were amplified from the fecal DNA to detect the infection of trypanosomes and analyze the blood feeding patterns, respectively. Paraffin-embedded sections were then prepared from adult triatomines and sent for IHC staining.ResultsWe collected two adult triatomine bugs in Donghai Island. Morphological and molecular analyses indicated that the triatomines were Triatoma rubrofasciata. No fragments of T. cruzi or other trypanosomes were detected from the fecal DNA. Mitochondrial gene segments of Homo sapiens and Mus musculus were successfully amplified. The allergens which induced specific IgE antibodies in human serum were localized in the triatomine saliva by IHC assay.ConclusionsThe two triatomine bugs from Donghai Island were T. rubrofasciata. They had bitten humans and mice. Their saliva should contain the allergens related to the allergic symptoms and even anaphylactic shock of exposed residents. Great consideration should be given to this triatomine bugs due to their considerable distribution and potential threat to public health in South China.

Highlights

Two health concerns primarily related to triatomine bugs are transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi through infective feces, and allergic reactions induced by triatomine bites
The housekeeper who was bitten by triatomines and developed allergic reactions was included in the research
We found that the IgE antibodies specific to T. rubrofasciata saliva were present in the serum of the allergic patient who had been bitten for many times through the IHC analysis

Summary

Introduction

Two health concerns primarily related to triatomine bugs are transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi through infective feces, and allergic reactions induced by triatomine bites. The reduviid subfamily Triatominae (triatomine bugs) is a group of medically important insects characterized by obligate hematophagy and transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi [2]. These parasites can invade the human body after the individual contacts with the feces of an infected triatomine bug, causing a potentially life -threatening illness called Chagas disease [3]. Most triatomine species are reported to be distributed in the Americas roughly from 46°N to 46°S, except for the aberrant Indian genus Linshcoteus and the tropicoplitan Triatoma rubrofasciata [5, 6]. In China, two species of triatomines have been recorded: T. sinica Hsaio collected in Nanjing in 1965, and T. rubrofasciata, with a wider distribution in South China including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan and Taiwan [8, 9]

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