Leveraging transcriptome SRAs for virus detection in wild and colony populations of triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)

Abstract

Triatomines are infamous as vectors of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. However, climate-driven range expansion and urbanization adaptation of Triatomine populations coupled with their highly diverse feeding strategies (vertebrate haematophagy, kleptohaematophagy, and coprophagy) and has elevated interest in Triatomines as potential arboviral vectors. Information on the Triatomine virome is highly scant, with prior records including only eight insect-specific viruses: Triatoma virus (TrV) and Rhodnius prolixus viruses 1–7. Here we leverage publicly available transcriptome datasets to assess viral diversity in 122 wild and colony kissing bugs representing eight species from six countries. In total, six viruses were detected (including Rhodnius prolixus viruses 4–6), and TrV was detected in almost half of all screened Triatomines. TrV is reported in Triatoma brasiliensis and in the genus Mepraia (M. gajardoi, M. spinolai, M. parapatrica) for the first time, and this effort has vastly expanded the publicly available genomic resources of TrV, adding 39 genomes to the single genome currently available on GenBank. Furthermore, two additional viruses—Meccus longipennis virus 1 and Drosophila melanogaster Nora virus—are herein reported from kissing bugs for the first time. Meccus longipennis virus 1 was detected in Triatoma infestans from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru, and Drosophila melanogaster Nora virus was found in T. infestans from Argentina. Our results illustrate the advantage and utility of low-cost transcriptome data mining for the discovery of known and novel arboviruses in Triatomines, and other potential insect vectors.