The infra-red (IR) landscape of Triatoma infestans. An hypothesis about the role of IR radiation as a cue for Triatominae dispersal

Abstract

This paper presents the infrared (IR) emission spectrum of hosts and habitats of Triatoma infestans in the chaco region of NW Argentina, representing the first attempt to correlate the natural infrared stimulus with the known behaviour of these blood-sucking insect, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi – causative agent of Chagas disease. The study was carried out in two rural villages of La Rioja Province (Argentina). A FLYR i40 camera was used to obtain IR pictures which were analyzed to determine the thermal range for humans, domestic animals, building materials, and general background emissions. From sunset to the first hours of night, the thermal contrast between hosts and their landscape rises, increasing the likelihood that hosts could be differentiated by the vector. However, some building materials, can retain high temperatures during the night, which might add attractiveness to the presence of hosts. The results suggest that the most attractive habitats for dispersing bugs would be those at short distance, with high CO2 emission and strong IR radiation indicative of host presence. Goats corrals may be the most attractive habitat to disperse, within the domestic habitat. Dispersal would be favoured in periods of low atmospheric water saturation when IR perception is highest. In the IR band, the potential host and habitat discrimination available for the insects fits well with their known sensory capacities and observed dispersive behavior. Research in this area could be of considerable interest in relation to vector surveillance, epidemiology of Chagas disease transmission, and to develop new methods to minimise triatomine colonisation of new habitats.