Trypanosoma cruzi could affect wild triatomine approaching behaviour to humans by altering vector nutritional status: A field test

Estay-Olea, Daniela; Correa, Juana P.; de Bona, Sophie; Bacigalupo, Antonella; Quiroga, Nicol; San Juan, Esteban; Solari, Aldo; Botto-Mahan, Carezza

Abstract

Hematophagous insects exhibit complex behaviour when searching for blood-meals, responding to several host stimuli. The hematophagous insect Mepraia spinolai is a wild vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, causative agent of Chagas disease in humans, in the semiarid-Mediterranean ecosystem of Chile. In this study, we evaluated the association between the approaching behaviour to a human host, with T. cruzi infection status and nutritional condition of M. spinolai. To this end, we captured 501 individuals in six consecutive 10 min-timespan, using a human as bait. Captured vectors were weighed, photographed and measured to calculate their nutritional status by means of a Standardized Body Mass Index. Trypanosoma cruzi infection was assessed in the intestinal content by using a real-time PCR assay. Ordinal logistic regressions were performed separately for infected and uninfected groups to evaluate if the nutritional status was associated with the approaching behaviour to a human host, recorded as the time-span of capture. Nutritional status of uninfected triatomines was higher than that from infected ones (p 0.005). Among the infected, those with higher nutritional status approached first (p 0.01); there was no effect of nutritional status in the uninfected group. Trypanosoma cruzi infection might affect the foraging behaviour of M. spinolai under natural conditions, probably deteriorating nutritional status and/or altering vector detection abilities.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000563497800004 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: ACTA TROPICA
Volumen: 210
Editorial: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Fecha de publicación: 2020
DOI:

10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105574

Notas: ISI