Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease (CD), is transmitted by hematophagous insects belonging to the subfamily Triatominae. After elimination of Triatoma infestans, the infestation of human dwellings by secondary species of vectors continues to pose a risk of transmission of the parasite. Our aim was to investigate the T. cruzi presence in triatomines and humans in rural households in the State of Paraná, southern Brazil. The capture of the insects was carried out by technicians of the municipalities after residents reported the outbreak. Five residents and 27 triatomines captured in four municipalities in the North and Midwest of the state were evaluated. The research of T. cruzi was carried out using parasitological, serological, and molecular techniques, in human blood, excreta, intestinal contents and insect macerate. Panstrongylus megistus, P. geniculatus and Triatoma sp. were identified. Ten specimens of P. megistus were captured in a house in Mandaguari with five residents and presented an infection rate of 70% for T. cruzi like. All residents tested negative for T. cruzi infection. Another 15 P. megistus were captured in the peridomicile in Janiópolis and had 100.0% positivity. The only adult specimen of P. geniculatus captured in the intradomicile in Amaporã, as well as the nymph of Triatoma in the peridomicile in Paiçandu, were negative. The finding of P. megistus naturally infected by T. cruzi in households in rural area of Paraná demonstrates a potential risk of vector transmission of CD in these regions.
Highlights
Trypanosoma cruzi, hemoflagellate protozoan responsible for Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909) affects approximately 7 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America, where the main route of transmission to humans is associated with the presence of the insect vector (WHO, 2021).Triatomines are hematophagous insects, belonging to the subfamily Triatominae (Reduviidae, Hemiptera) which has 153 described species and are distributed in 18 genera and five tribes
This study aimed to identify the species of triatomines captured in the intra and peridomicile, verify the presence of natural infection of these insects by T. cruzi and perform parasitological, serological, and molecular tests on residents from locations where these triatomines were captured, in the rural area of municipalities in the North and Midwest of the State of Paraná, southern Brazil
Even after the elimination of T. infestans, considered the main vector of Chagas disease (CD) in the past, the presence of vectors domiciled in artificial ecotopes in our country makes it difficult to reduce vector transmission of T. cruzi, which may trigger a new epidemiological perspective of CD in endemic regions with controlled transmission, as is the case of the State of Paraná, and non-endemic regions
Summary
Trypanosoma cruzi, hemoflagellate protozoan responsible for Chagas disease (Chagas, 1909) affects approximately 7 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America, where the main route of transmission to humans is associated with the presence of the insect vector (WHO, 2021).Triatomines are hematophagous insects, belonging to the subfamily Triatominae (Reduviidae, Hemiptera) which has 153 described species and are distributed in 18 genera and five tribes. 68 are part of the Brazilian fauna, with potential to transmit T. cruzi, being Triatoma infestans Klug, 1834, T. brasiliensis Neiva, 1911, T. pseudomaculata. In the Northeast region of Brazil, the presence of the species T. brasiliensis, T. pseudomaculata, P. megistus and P. lutzi Neiva & Pinto, 1923, was verified in Ceará, with an infection rate for T. cruzi of. 4.77% (Candido et al, 2019), and in 8.4% of the homes in Pernambuco (Farias et al, 2019). These data demonstrate that continuous entomological surveillance, especially in rural areas, is important to assess the potential risk of vector transmission of Chagas disease
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