RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Triatoma brasiliensis, a triatomine-bug vector of Chagas disease, evolved in the semiarid Caatinga, where it occupies rocky outcrops, shrubby cacti, and human dwellings. Dwellings and rocks are considered high-quality microhabitats for this saxicolous species, whereas cacti probably represent secondary, lower-quality microhabitats. This 'microhabitat-quality hierarchy' hypothesis predicts that T. brasiliensis populations occupying dwellings or rocks should endure harsh environmental conditions better than their cactus-living relatives. METHODS/FINDINGS: We tested this prediction by comparing T. brasiliensis infestation (proportion of microhabitats with bugs), density (bugs per microhabitat), and crowding (bugs per infested microhabitat) in dwellings, rocks, and cacti sampled before and during the extreme drought that ravaged the Caatinga in 2012-2016. We used random-intercepts generalized linear mixed models to account for microhabitat spatial clustering and for variations in bug-catch effort; we assessed model performance and computed model-averaged effect estimates using Akaike's information criterion. Pre-drought infestation was similar across microhabitat types; during the drought, infestation remained stable in dwellings and rocks but dropped in cacti. Pre-drought bug density declined from dwellings to rocks to cacti; an additional decline associated with the drought was largely comparable across microhabitats, albeit perhaps somewhat larger in cacti. Finally, pre-drought bug crowding was higher in dwellings than in rocks or cacti and changed little during the drought-possibly with a downward trend in dwellings and an upward trend in cacti. CONCLUSIONS: Triatoma brasiliensis populations fared better in dwellings and rocks than in cacti during extreme drought. Estimates of microhabitat and drought effects on infestation, density, and crowding suggest that only a few cacti (versus many rocks and dwellings) represent good-quality habitat under such extremely harsh conditions. Our findings provide empirical support to the microhabitat-quality hierarchy hypothesis, and imply that T. brasiliensis can endure extreme climate by exploiting high-quality microhabitats, whether wild or man-made, in the semiarid Caatinga.
Assuntos
Clima , Secas , Triatoma , Animais , Brasil , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , Ecossistema , Humanos , Insetos VetoresRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Field ecologists often rely on mark-release-recapture (MRR) experiments to estimate population dynamics parameters for a given species. In the case of a medically important taxon, i.e., a disease vector, inferences on species survival and dispersal rates are particularly important as they have the potential to provide insights into disease transmission dynamics in endemic areas. Medical entomologists have traditionally used fluorescent dusts to externally mark the cuticle of insects. However, dust marking is usually restricted to the adult life stage because immature insects lose the mark when they molt. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We evaluated the efficacy of 13 trace elements in marking nymphs of three native Brazilian Chagas disease vectors: Triatoma brasiliensis, Triatoma pseudomaculata, and Rhodnius nasutus. Cr and Cu were detected in over 97% of T. brasiliensis (34/35 31/31 for Cr and Cu), while Cu and Mn were detected in more than 95% of T. pseudomaculata (29/29 for Cu and 28/29 for Mn) tested 120 days after marking. Only Mn marked over 90% of R. nasutus nymphs (38/41). Overall, trace elements had no negative effects on T. pseudomaculata longevity, but As-marked T. brasiliensis nymphs (p<0.01), and Cd-marked R. nasutus nymphs (p<0.01) had significantly shorter lifespan. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Previous evidence shows that there is little or no genetic differentiation between populations at the microgeographic level, which often precludes indirect estimations of dispersal capability based on genetic markers. In such situations, MRR studies are more suitable as they measure insect movement directly from one site to another, instead of effective migration (i.e. gene flow). The determination of a reliable and persistent marking method is the first step towards the development of meaningful ecological estimates through the application of MRR methodology. Here, we have identified trace elements that can be used for mark and recapture studies of three triatomine species in Brazil.
Assuntos
Rhodnius/fisiologia , Oligoelementos/metabolismo , Triatoma/fisiologia , Animais , Longevidade , Metais/metabolismo , Ninfa/fisiologia , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
We used the gut contents of triatomines collected from rural areas of Ceará State, northeastern Brazil, to identify their putative hosts via vertebrate cytb gene sequencing. Successful direct sequencing was obtained for 48% of insects, comprising 50 Triatoma brasiliensis, 7 Triatoma pseudomaculata, and 1 Rhodnius nasutus. Basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) procedure revealed that domestic animals, such as chickens (Gallus gallus) and goats (Capra hircus), are the main food source, including in sylvatic environment. Native hosts were also detected in peridomestic environment such as reptiles (Tropidurus sp. and Iguana iguana) and the Galea spixii (Rodentia: Caviidae). The role of goats and Galea spixii in Chagas disease epidemiology calls for further studies, because these mammals likely link the sylvatic and domestic Trypanosoma cruzi cycles.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Reservatórios de Doenças/veterinária , Comportamento Alimentar/fisiologia , Cabras/sangue , Roedores/sangue , Triatominae/fisiologia , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , Citocromos b/genética , Citocromos b/isolamento & purificação , DNA/genética , Reservatórios de Doenças/parasitologia , HumanosRESUMO
Palms are ubiquitous across Neotropical landscapes, from pristine forests or savannahs to large cities. Although palms provide useful ecosystem services, they also offer suitable habitat for triatomines and for Trypanosoma cruzi mammalian hosts. Wild triatomines often invade houses by flying from nearby palms, potentially leading to new cases of human Chagas disease. Understanding and predicting triatomine-palm associations and palm infestation probabilities is important for enhancing Chagas disease prevention in areas where palm-associated vectors transmit T. cruzi. We present a comprehensive overview of palm infestation by triatomines in the Americas, combining a thorough reanalysis of our published and unpublished records with an in-depth review of the literature. We use site-occupancy modeling (SOM) to examine infestation in 3590 palms sampled with non-destructive methods, and standard statistics to describe and compare infestation in 2940 palms sampled by felling-and-dissection. Thirty-eight palm species (18 genera) have been reported to be infested by â¼39 triatomine species (10 genera) from the USA to Argentina. Overall infestation varied from 49.1-55.3% (SOM) to 62.6-66.1% (dissection), with important heterogeneities among sub-regions and particularly among palm species. Large palms with complex crowns (e.g., Attalea butyracea, Acrocomia aculeata) and some medium-crowned palms (e.g., Copernicia, Butia) are often infested; in slender, small-crowned palms (e.g., Euterpe) triatomines associate with vertebrate nests. Palm infestation tends to be higher in rural settings, but urban palms can also be infested. Most Rhodnius species are probably true palm specialists, whereas Psammolestes, Eratyrus, Cavernicola, Panstrongylus, Triatoma, Alberprosenia, and some Bolboderini seem to use palms opportunistically. Palms provide extensive habitat for enzootic T. cruzi cycles and a critical link between wild cycles and transmission to humans. Unless effective means to reduce contact between people and palm-living triatomines are devised, palms will contribute to maintaining long-term and widespread, albeit possibly low-intensity, transmission of human Chagas disease.
Assuntos
Arecaceae/parasitologia , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , Panstrongylus/parasitologia , Rhodnius/parasitologia , Triatoma/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/parasitologia , Animais , Ecologia , Ecossistema , Humanos , Insetos Vetores , América do Norte , América do SulRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted by triatomine vectors. The northeastern region of Brazil is endemic for Chagas disease and has the largest diversity of triatomine species. T. cruzi development in its triatomine vector depends on diverse factors, including the composition of bacterial gut microbiota. METHODS: We characterized the triatomines captured in the municipality of Russas (Ceará) by sequencing the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The composition of the bacterial community in the gut of peridomestic Triatoma brasiliensis and Triatoma pseudomaculata was investigated using culture independent methods based on the amplification of the 16S rRNA gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), DNA fragment cloning, Sanger sequencing and 454 pyrosequencing. Additionally, we identified TcI and TcII types of T. cruzi by sequencing amplicons from the gut metagenomic DNA with primers for the mini-exon gene. RESULTS: Triatomines collected in the peridomestic ecotopes were diagnosed as T. pseudomaculata and T. brasiliensis by comparing their COI sequence with GenBank. The rate of infection by T. cruzi in adult triatomines reached 80% for T. pseudomaculata and 90% for T. brasiliensis. According to the DNA sequences from the DGGE bands, the triatomine gut microbiota was primarily composed of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. However, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were also detected, although in much lower proportions. Serratia was the main genus, as it was encountered in all samples analyzed by DGGE and 454 pyrosequencing. Members of Corynebacterinae, a suborder of the Actinomycetales, formed the next most important group. The cloning and sequencing of full-length 16S rRNA genes confirmed the presence of Serratia marcescens, Dietzia sp., Gordonia terrae, Corynebacterium stationis and Corynebacterium glutamicum. CONCLUSIONS: The study of the bacterial microbiota in the triatomine gut has gained increased attention because of the possible role it may play in the epidemiology of Chagas disease by competing with T. cruzi. Culture independent methods have shown that the bacterial composition of the microbiota in the guts of peridomestic triatomines is made up by only few bacterial species.
Assuntos
Triatoma/microbiologia , Triatoma/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Bactérias/classificação , Bactérias/genética , DNA Bacteriano , Eletroforese em Gel de Gradiente Desnaturante , Complexo IV da Cadeia de Transporte de Elétrons/genética , Feminino , Trato Gastrointestinal/microbiologia , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica , Ninfa/microbiologia , Filogenia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , RNA Bacteriano/genética , Triatoma/classificação , Triatoma/genéticaRESUMO
Chagas disease was investigated in two new settlements of landless rural workers inhabiting prefabricated, triatomine-proof houses and in four neighboring older communities where mud huts were still well suitable for vectors. Through a cross-sectional survey and entomological assessment, we surveyed 148 houses/families in the two new settlements and in 47 houses/families in the four older localities. We determined seroprevalence of Chagas disease through IFI and Elisa (eluates) assays and searched for vectors in the domestic and peridomestic environments. Seroprevalence reached 0.6% (3/466) in the new settlements and 0.8% (1/115) in the older communities. Triatomines were not found in the new settlements, while 7 Triatoma brasiliensis, 4 T. pseudomaculata, 1 Panstrongylus lutzi, and 145 Rhodnius nasutus were collected in the older localities. In addition, a colony of T. brasiliensis (n = 55) was encountered inside a school attended by children of the region. Parasite strains isolated from the insects were characterized as T. cruzi I. Despite the low prevalence of Chagas disease in both scenarios, entomological surveillance must be strengthened and housing improvement reinforced in order to control vector transmission. The risk of infection by the vectors was lower in the settlements of improved homes, where conditions for colonization of the peridomestic environment by transmitting insects were not observed.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Habitação , Insetos Vetores/parasitologia , Triatominae/parasitologia , Adulto , Animais , Animais Domésticos , Brasil/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/sangue , Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/veterinária , Criança , Estudos Transversais , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Prevalência , População Rural , Estudos Soroepidemiológicos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: After the control of the main modes of Chagas disease (CD) transmission in most endemic countries, it is important to identify the participation of native sylvatic vectors in CD transmission. Although CD is not considered endemic in Rio de Janeiro State (RJ), Brazil, we identified patients with CD born in RJ and investigated the possible autochthonous transmission in the state. METHODS: Patients born in RJ and followed in our institution between 1986 and 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. The cases identified as autochthonous transmission were submitted to epidemiological, clinical, serological, parasitological and molecular studies. Sectional field study with serological survey, research of sylvatic reservoirs and vectors was conducted in rural areas where patients were born. RESULTS: Among 1963 patients, 69 (3.5%) were born in RJ. From these, 15 (21.7%) were considered to have acquired the infection by autochthonous transmission. Cardiac form was the commonest form of presentation (60%). In rural areas in RJ northern region, sylvatic cycles of Trypanosoma cruzi and domestic invasion by Triatoma vitticeps were identified, and CD prevalence among inhabitants was 0.74%.TcI genotype was identified in sylvatic reservoirs and vectors. The genotype (mixed infection TcI/TcVI) could be identified in one of the autochthonous cases. CONCLUSIONS: The autochthonous vectorial transmission of CD occurs in RJ, probably due to wild cycles of T. cruzi and sylvatic vectors, such as T. vitticeps. Therefore, the health authorities should evaluate if RJ should be included in the original endemic area of CD and CD should be included in the diagnostic work out of cardiomyopathy of patients born in RJ. Moreover, control and educational measures should be put into place in the risk areas.
Assuntos
Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolamento & purificação , Adolescente , Adulto , Idoso , Animais , Brasil/epidemiologia , Doença de Chagas/parasitologia , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , Feminino , Genótipo , Humanos , Insetos Vetores/parasitologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Prevalência , Estudos Retrospectivos , Triatoma/parasitologia , Trypanosoma cruzi/genéticaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Vector-borne diseases are major public health concerns worldwide. For many of them, vector control is still key to primary prevention, with control actions planned and evaluated using vector occurrence records. Yet vectors can be difficult to detect, and vector occurrence indices will be biased whenever spurious detection/non-detection records arise during surveys. Here, we investigate the process of Chagas disease vector detection, assessing the performance of the surveillance method used in most control programs--active triatomine-bug searches by trained health agents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Control agents conducted triplicate vector searches in 414 man-made ecotopes of two rural localities. Ecotope-specific 'detection histories' (vectors or their traces detected or not in each individual search) were analyzed using ordinary methods that disregard detection failures and multiple detection-state site-occupancy models that accommodate false-negative and false-positive detections. Mean (± SE) vector-search sensitivity was â¼ 0.283 ± 0.057. Vector-detection odds increased as bug colonies grew denser, and were lower in houses than in most peridomestic structures, particularly woodpiles. False-positive detections (non-vector fecal streaks misidentified as signs of vector presence) occurred with probability â¼ 0.011 ± 0.008. The model-averaged estimate of infestation (44.5 ± 6.4%) was â¼ 2.4-3.9 times higher than naïve indices computed assuming perfect detection after single vector searches (11.4-18.8%); about 106-137 infestation foci went undetected during such standard searches. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We illustrate a relatively straightforward approach to addressing vector detection uncertainty under realistic field survey conditions. Standard vector searches had low sensitivity except in certain singular circumstances. Our findings suggest that many infestation foci may go undetected during routine surveys, especially when vector density is low. Undetected foci can cause control failures and induce bias in entomological indices; this may confound disease risk assessment and mislead program managers into flawed decision making. By helping correct bias in naïve indices, the approach we illustrate has potential to critically strengthen vector-borne disease control-surveillance systems.
Assuntos
Distribuição Animal/fisiologia , Insetos Vetores/parasitologia , Incerteza , Animais , Doença de Chagas/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Modelos Teóricos , Densidade Demográfica , RNA não Traduzido , Sensibilidade e EspecificidadeRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Understanding the drivers of habitat selection by insect disease vectors is instrumental to the design and operation of rational control-surveillance systems. One pervasive yet often overlooked drawback of vector studies is that detection failures result in some sites being misclassified as uninfested; naïve infestation indices are therefore biased, and this can confound our view of vector habitat preferences. Here, we present an initial attempt at applying methods that explicitly account for imperfect detection to investigate the ecology of Chagas disease vectors in man-made environments. METHODOLOGY: We combined triplicate-sampling of individual ecotopes (nâ=â203) and site-occupancy models (SOMs) to test a suite of pre-specified hypotheses about habitat selection by Triatoma brasiliensis. SOM results were compared with those of standard generalized linear models (GLMs) that assume perfect detection even with single bug-searches. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Triatoma brasiliensis was strongly associated with key hosts (native rodents, goats/sheep and, to a lesser extent, fowl) in peridomestic environments; ecotope structure had, in comparison, small to negligible effects, although wooden ecotopes were slightly preferred. We found evidence of dwelling-level aggregation of infestation foci; when there was one such focus, same-dwelling ecotopes, whether houses or peridomestic structures, were more likely to become infested too. GLMs yielded negatively-biased covariate effect estimates and standard errors; both were, on average, about four times smaller than those derived from SOMs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results confirm substantial population-level ecological heterogeneity in T. brasiliensis. They also suggest that, at least in some sites, control of this species may benefit from peridomestic rodent control and changes in goat/sheep husbandry practices. Finally, our comparative analyses highlight the importance of accounting for the various sources of uncertainty inherent to vector studies, including imperfect detection. We anticipate that future research on infectious disease ecology will increasingly rely on approaches akin to those described here.
Assuntos
Ecossistema , Insetos Vetores/fisiologia , Modelos Biológicos , Triatoma/fisiologia , Animais , Brasil , Doença de Chagas/transmissão , Modelos Lineares , Roedores , RuminantesRESUMO
Triatoma brasiliensis is the most important vector of Chagas disease in the Caatinga eco-region of northeastern Brazil. Wild T. brasiliensis populations have been reported only from rocky outcrops. However, this species frequently infests/re-infests houses in rock-free sedimentary lowlands. We therefore hypothesized that it should also occupy other natural ecotopes. We show that a common Caatinga cactus, Pilosocereus gounellei, locally known as xiquexique, often harbors T. brasiliensis breeding colonies apparently associated with rodents (n = 44 cacti, infestation rate = 47.7%, 157 bugs captured). Our findings suggest that infested cacti might be involved in house re-infestation by T. brasiliensis in the Caatinga region.