Feeding behavior of Triatoma vitticeps (Reduviidae: Triatominae) in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feeding behavior of Triatoma vitticeps through the identification of its food sources and the characterization of the blood ingestion process. In addition, we aimed to verify if the saliva of this vector interferes with the perception of the host during the feedings by creating a nervous impulse. Here, we demonstrated that the T. vitticeps saliva reduces, gradually and irreversibly, the amplitude of the compound action potential of the nervous fibre, which helps decrease the perception of the insect by the host. The precipitin reaction demonstrated the feeding eclecticism of this vector, with the identification of eight food sources - most of them found simultaneously in the same insect. The analysis of the electrical signals produced by the cibarial pump during meals demonstrated that the best feeding performance of T. vitticeps nymphs that fed on pigeons is mainly due to the higher contraction frequency of the pump. The longer contact period with the host to obtain a complete meal compared with other triatominae species of the same instar could favor the occurrence of multiple blood sources in T. vitticeps under natural conditions, as it was evidenced by the precipitin test

Hemi-Nested PCR and RFLP Methodologies for Identifying Blood Meals of the Chagas Disease Vector, Triatoma infestans

“…It is known that blood meals from Triatoma spp. may contain DNA from more than one vertebrate species [4], [14], [25], [26]. Thus, an important consideration for blood meal analysis is the ability to detect blood from more than one host in a single triatomine.…”

“…Digestion with Hae III alone resulted in a mouse identification compared to the double digest that resulted in blood meal identification as human. This technique allowed for the rapid and inexpensive identification of both hosts in comparison to the common practice of running several species-specific PCR reactions or the use of DNA sequencing of PCR amplified products [3],[4],[26].…”

Triatomines in dwellings and outbuildings in an endemic area of Chagas disease in northeastern Brazil

“…This is due primarily to the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi by Triatoma infestans, which also lives in human dwellings 29 . Thus, dogs and cats play an important role in the maintenance of the disease, in addition to other domestic and wild mammals that frequent the areas surrounding homes 3,4,12 . In the case of cats, although infection rates are low, their association with the domestic cycle is closely associated with their wandering habits 30 .…”

“…Vector transmission has always been considered to be the most important mode of transmission in Brazil, corresponding to 80% of cases of parasitic diseases, and is associated with the ability of these triatomines to invade and adapt to homes and outbuildings, especially those of low socioeconomic conditions 3,4 . Carlos Chagas correlated this trypanosomiasis transmission with the presence of triatomines in intra-domestic areas 5 .…”

Evaluation of the Chagas Disease Control Program in Açucena Municipality, Rio Doce Valley, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

“…These studies also showed eclectic feeding by T. vitticeps. The longer contact period with the host required to obtain a complete meal compared with other triatomine species of the same instar could favor the presence of multiple blood sources in T. vitticeps under natural conditions as has been suggested by the precipitin test 29 . Marsupials, rodents and birds are the most frequent food sources for this species.…”