Wing Polymorphism and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Wild, Peridomestic, and Domestic Collections of Mepraia spinolai (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) From Chile

Mepraia spinolai (Porter) is a vector of Trypanosoma cruzi that causes Chagas disease. Females are always wingless, but males may be winged or wingless. We determined by PCR the infection percentage with T. cruzi of M. spinolai adults and nymphs in domestic, peridomestic, and wild collections, in di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical entomology 2017-07, Vol.54 (4), p.1061-1066
Main Authors: Frías-Lasserre, Daniel, González, Christian R., Valenzuela, Carolina Reyes, Carvalho, Danila Blanco de, Oliveira, Jader, Canals, Mauricio, Rosa, Joao Aristeu da
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Animal Distribution
Animals
Chagas disease
Chile
Deprivation
Disease transmission
Dwellings
Female
Females
Food sources
Housing
human dwelling
Humans
Infections
Male
Males
Mepraia spinolai
Nymph - genetics
Nymph - growth & development
Nymph - parasitology
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymorphism
Polymorphism, Genetic
Protozoa
Residential areas
Triatominae - anatomy & histology
Triatominae - genetics
Triatominae - growth & development
Triatominae - parasitology
Trypanosoma cruzi
Trypanosoma cruzi - physiology
Vector-borne diseases
VECTOR/PATHOGEN/HOST INTERACTION, TRANSMISSION
Vertebrates
wing polymorphism
Wings, Animal - anatomy & histology
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Summary:Mepraia spinolai (Porter) is a vector of Trypanosoma cruzi that causes Chagas disease. Females are always wingless, but males may be winged or wingless. We determined by PCR the infection percentage with T. cruzi of M. spinolai adults and nymphs in domestic, peridomestic, and wild collections, in different regions of Chile. In all regions, winged males were more abundant than females and wingless males. Winged males collected inside houses were less parasitized than were those from peridomestic and wild environments. Although winged males of M. spinolai have comparatively low levels of infection, this segment may still represent the greatest vector threat in this species for transmission of T. cruzi to humans and other vertebrates in domestic, wild, and peridomestic habitats. Winged males represent the dispersive form of this species that invades human dwellings. Feeding deprivation resulting from the time required to find a food source and to search for reproductive females could explain the lower infection rates (negatives) of winged males collected from inside houses in comparison with winged males collected from peridomestic and wild habitats.
ISSN:0022-2585
1938-2928
DOI:10.1093/jme/tjx061