Vertebrates as a food source for triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, in Argentina

BARBOZA S E; LOPEZ C P; BALSALOBRE A; VICENTE M E; MARTI G A; CECCARELLI S

Congreso; II Congress of the Latin American Society for Vector Ecology Control of endemic zoonotic and vector-borne emerging and re-emerging diseases: Current challenges in Latin America; 2022

Chagas disease is caused by the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, where triatominesact as vectors, mammals as hosts, and vertebrates in general as reservoirs. Understandingthe transmission cycles of T. cruzi, and therefore the relationship between the insect vectorand the vertebrates that act as a food source, is crucial to design and implement effective control strategies around this problematic that mainly affects the countries of America. Forthis, an exhaustive bibliographical compilation of scientific works published between 1960and 2022 was carried out, from various sources of information currently available. The aim ofthe current work was collecting, systematizing and updating the information on theassociation between triatomines and vertebrates. These associations were classified asdirect when they were based on molecular analyses; and indirect when triatomines andvertebrates met together in time and space. In turn, all the countries on which the reportsincluded the 15 species of triatomines distributed in Argentina were recorded. Vertebrateswere classified according to their corresponding specific category. Around 215 papers wereanalyzed, of which approximately 47% presented data on the association studied. Also, 553reports were obtained from the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. Regarding foodsources, 10 orders of mammals were included (Artiodactyla, Carnivora, Chiroptera,Cingulata, Didelphimorphia, Lagomorpha, Perissodactyla, Pilosa, Primates and Rodentia), aswell as birds, amphibians and reptiles. The largest number of reports on vertebratesassociated with triatomines corresponded to peridomicile animals such as cats, dogs,chickens, goats, pigs, etc. The only order associated with 100% of the argentine triatominesspecies was Rodentia. At the same time, it is clear that associations based on molecularanalyzes represent much more robust evidence than indirect associations. According to thisreview Panstrongylus geniculatus, Triatoma infestans and Triatoma sordida are the mostgeneralist argentine species of triatomines in their diet, presenting 11 different taxa as foodsources for each of these species, also these were the triatomine species with the highestnumber of reports. In contrast, only one type of food source for Psammolestes coreodes andTriatoma breyeri were recorded. The systematized information was used to create adatabase on the argentine triatomines species and the associated vertebrate species as afood source. This data is necessary to create co-occurrence maps based on thegeographical distribution of the species of vectors and their food sources, allowing theidentification of areas of eco-epidemiological importance relevant to the transmission cycle ofT. cruzi, in which reservoirs, vectors and hosts interact. The results obtained highlight theimportance of directing future studies towards wild cycles, on which the information availableis scarce.