L925I mutation in the Para-type sodium channel is associated with pyrethroid resistance in Triatoma infestans from the Gran Chaco region.

CAPRIOTTI, NATALIA; MOUGABURE-CUETO, G; RIVERA POMAR R; ONS, SHEILA

PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES

PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Lugar: San Francisco; Año: 2014 vol. 8 p. 2659 - 2659

1935-2735

One of the principal goals of the Southern Cone Initiative (SCI), created in 1991, is to reduce the geographic range and infestation prevalence of triatomines, vectors of Chagas'disease. Despite its success in many areas, the elimination of Triatoma infestans has failed in the Gran Chaco ecoregion, even in areas subjected to intense vector control efforts with pyrethroid insecticides. Detecting the reasons for the persistence of T. infestans in the Gran Chaco has been recognized as a priority of the SCI, in its 15th meeting held in Brasilia in 2006. The voltage -dependent sodium channel is the target protein of pyrethroid insecticides. In this work, we investigated possible mutations in the sodium channel gene in a highly resistant population from Gran Chaco. We found a point mutation that affects the structure of the channel and is associated with high resistance to pyrethroids. We also present a simple and low-cost method to detect this mutation in individuals from the field. Our results are important for monitoring the presence and spread of pyrethroid-resistant populations of T. infestans, a critical requirement in the implementation of strategies for resistance management and for the rational design of campaigns oriented to controlling the transmission of Chagas' disease.