A Triatoma maculata (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) population from Roraima, Amazon region, Brazil, has some bionomic characteristics of a potential Chagas disease vector

Authors

  • José Francisco Luitgards-Moura Universidade Federal de Roraima; Núcleo Avançado de Vetores
  • André Barbosa Vargas Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
  • Carlos Eduardo Almeida Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Departamento de Entomologia; Coleção Entomológica; Núcleo de Informatização
  • Gleidson Magno-Esperança Universidade de Barra Mansa; Centro Universitário de Barra Mansa; Museu de Ciências
  • Ronildo Agapito-Souza Universidade de Barra Mansa; Centro Universitário de Barra Mansa; Museu de Ciências
  • Elaine Folly-Ramos Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Departamento de Entomologia; Coleção Entomológica; Núcleo de Informatização
  • Jane Costa Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Departamento de Entomologia; Coleção Entomológica; Núcleo de Informatização
  • Pantelis Tsouris Freitas-Tsouris Consultants
  • Maria Goreti Rosa-Freitas Instituto Oswaldo Cruz; Departamento de Entomologia; Laboratório de Transmissão de Hematozoários

Keywords:

Triatoma maculata, Chagas disease, Amazon, Roraima, Brazil, Bionomic studies

Abstract

Even though Chagas disease is rare in the Brazilian Amazon, the conditions for the establishment of domiciliated cycles prevail in many areas where triatomines are of frequent occurrence. In Roraima, a previous serological and entomological survey in three agricultural settlements showed the existence of all transmission cycle elements, i.e., individuals infected by Trypanosoma cruzi, triatomine species previously found harboring T. cruzi in the broader Amazon region of neighboring countries and, domicile/ peridomicile conditions favorable to triatomine colonization. Triatoma maculata was the most frequent species, found in chicken houses in the peridomicile and sporadically within residences. Aiming to investigate the possibility of T. maculata to possess the potentiality to transmit T. cruzi in the area, bionomic characteristics were studied under laboratory conditions. These were feeding frequency, time for defecation after a blood meal, time elapsed in voluntary fasting pre- and pos-ecdysis, moulting time periods, pre-oviposition and oviposition periods and index of oviposition, incubation period, egg viability, longevity and mortality rate. Results show that the Passarão population of T. maculata should be considered a potential vector of T. cruzi since it shows a capacity to infest artificial ecotopes in the peridomicile, to carry out large number of meals during the nymphal cycle, to have a relatively short developmental cycle capable of producing 2.9 generations/year, to blood source eclecticism, to defecate immediately after the blood meal while still on the host and to the fact that has been previously found naturally infected by T.cruzi.

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Published

2005-06-01

Issue

Section

Trypanosomiasis

How to Cite

Luitgards-Moura, J. F., Vargas, A. B., Almeida, C. E., Magno-Esperança, G., Agapito-Souza, R., Folly-Ramos, E., Costa, J., Tsouris, P., & Rosa-Freitas, M. G. (2005). A Triatoma maculata (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) population from Roraima, Amazon region, Brazil, has some bionomic characteristics of a potential Chagas disease vector . Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo, 47(3), 131-137. https://revistas.usp.br/rimtsp/article/view/30905