Eco-epidemiology of the domestic vector-borne transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi.

GURTLER RE; FERNÁNDEZ, MARÍA DEL PILAR; CARDINAL MV

Triatominae: The Biology of Chagas Disease Vectors.

Springer

Año: 2020;

Triatomine species largely differ in their degrees of adaptation to thrive in domestichabitats, blood-feed on humans, and transmit Trypanosoma cruzi. Pathogen transmissiondynamics are shaped by ecological, biological and social factors. Here we link housing qualityand host availability to the host-feeding patterns of domestic triatomines, and examine how theirblood-feeding performance affects temperature-dependent vital rates and bug populationdynamics. The stability/instability habitat divide connects with the large/small triatominepopulation size dichotomy, and on whether bug population dynamics are density-dependent or -independent and dominated by stochasticity. Seasonal variations in temperature acting ontriatomine blood-feeding activity and human-vector contact rates determined the spring peak ofsymptomatic acute cases of Chagas disease in northern Argentina across four decades. Thepresence of domestic animals (dogs, cats and chickens) and commensal rodents increasesdomestic infestation, vector infection and parasite transmission across multiple settings andtriatomine species. Both ecological and social factors contribute to human infection risk throughsocial vulnerability, mobility patterns and housing instability. Understanding the interactionsamong eco-bio-social factors may lead to the design and implementation of improved,sustainable disease control or elimination strategies.