Association of Anthropogenic Land Use Change and Increased Abundance of the Chagas Disease Vector Rhodnius pallescens in a Rural Landscape of Panama

Abstract

Abstract. Anthropogenic disturbance is associated with increased vector-borne infectious disease transmission in wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate how disturbance of a tropical forest landscape impacts abundance of the triatomine bug Rhodnius pallescens , a vector of Chagas disease, in the region of the Panama Canal in Panama. Rhodnius pallescens was collected (n = 1,186) from its primary habitat, the palm Attalea butyracea , in five habitat types reflecting a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. There was a high proportion of palms infested with R. pallescens across all habitat types (range = 77.1-91.4%). Results show that disturbed habitats are associated with increased vector abundance compared with relatively undisturbed habitats. Bugs collected in disturbed sites, although in higher abundance, tended to be in poor body condition compared with bugs captured in protected forest sites.

Morphometric and molecular evidence of intraspecific biogeographical differentiation of Rhodnius pallescens (HEMIPTERA: REDUVIIDAE: RHODNIINI) from Colombia and Panama

“…Similar to the Colombian lineage, the Central American lineage could occupy broad ecosystems, including human dwellings, as a consequence of rural landscape use (Gottdenker et al, 2011). Heterogeneous environmental factors as well as the wide geographical distribution of this lineage could involve the intralineage differentiation detected here.…”

“…In Central America, Rhodnius pallescens is the only endemic Rhodnius species, because R. prolixus is thought to have been accidentally introduced by humans (Zeledón, 2004). R. pallescens is widely distributed across Central America and Colombia (Galvão et al, 2003), where it occurs under a wide range of climatic conditions and ecological zones (Gottdenker et al, 2011;Jaramillo et al, 2000). Although this species inhabits sylvatic palm trees, adult insects frequently invade human dwellings, attracted by artificial light, a behavior that increases its importance in disease transmission (Calzada et al, 2006;Cantillo-Barraza et al, 2010;Gottdenker et al, 2011;Zeledón et al, 2006).…”

“…The variation in epidemiological relevance in R. pallescens could result from several endogenous factors such as vectorial capacities of biological or evolutionary divergent entities (i.e., different populations' structure could involve differentiation of certain niche attributes such as bloodmeal sources or the ability to colonize artificial habitats, etc.) as well as exogenous factors such as human activities (i.e., landscape use, particularly palm trees) (Gottdenker et al, 2011) and interspecies competition with intradomiciliary species such as R. prolixus or T. dimidiata.…”

Dynamics of Sylvatic Chagas Disease Vectors in Coastal Ecuador Is Driven by Changes in Land Cover

“…As revealed by previous studies from other parts of Latin America [12]–[16], the spatio-temporal distribution cycle of R. ecuadoriensis in coastal Ecuador comes as a result of a combination of multiple ecological factors. Because climatic conditions of the Ecuadorian Coast are favorable for triatomine development all year round (all months are moist and warm), land cover features represent the key variables that shape the population dynamics of T. cruzi vectors on a local scale [8].…”

Investigación de vectores y reservorios en brote de Chagas agudo por posible transmisión oral en Aguachica, Cesar, Colombia

“…son quemadas y derribadas. Esta reducción de ecótopos (vegetación primaria y secundaria), donde se mantiene el ciclo silvestre de T. cruzi y la disminución de fuentes alimenticias para los triatominos, presiona a los triatominos a migrar en búsqueda de alimento, cada vez más cerca de los domicilios, donde son atraídos por la luz y ayudados por las corrientes de aire lo que hace factible la adaptación de triatominos silvestres al domicilio 46 .…”