Exploration for Triatoma virus (TrV) infection in laboratory-reared triatomines of Latin America: a collaborative study

G. MARTI; S. ECHEVERRÍA; M. L. SUSEVICH; S. CECCARELLI; BALSALOBRE, A.; J. RABINOVICH; L. DIOTAIUTI; D. M. A. GUERÍN

International Journal of Tropical Insect Science

Cambridge University Press

Año: 2013 vol. 33 p. 294 - 304

1742-7584

Triatoma virus (TrV) is a small, non-enveloped virus that has a þssRNA genomeand is currently classified under the Cripavirus genus of the Dicistroviridae family. TrVinfects haematophagous triatomine insects (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), which are vectors ofAmerican trypanosomosis (Chagas disease). TrV can be transmitted through thehorizontal faecal?oral route, and causes either deleterious sublethal effects or even thedeath of laboratory insect colonies. Various species of triatomines from different regions ofLatin America are currently being reared in research laboratories, with little or noawareness of the presence of TrV; therefore, any biological conclusion drawn fromexperiments on insects infected with this virus is inherently affected by the side effects ofits infection. In this study, we developed a mathematical model to estimate the sample sizerequired for detecting a TrV infection.We applied this model to screen the infection in thefaeces of triatomines belonging to insectaries from 13 Latin American countries, carryingout the identification of TrV by using RT-PCR. TrV was detected in samples coming fromArgentina, which is where the virus was first isolated from Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera:Reduviidae) several years ago. Interestingly, several colonies from Brazil were also found infected with the virus. This positive result widens the TrV?s host range to a total of14 triatomine species. Our findings suggest that many triatomine species distributed overa large region of South America may be naturally infected with TrV.