Deterrence of feeding in Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera : Reduviidae) after treatment of antennae with a nitric oxide donor

SFARA V; ZERBA EN; ALZOGARAY RA

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY (CESKE BUDEJOVICE)

CZECH ACAD SCI

Año: 2011 vol. 108 p. 701 - 704

1210-5759

REVISTA INDEXADA. FI(2011): 1,061 The blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus is the main vector of Chagas Disease in Colombia, Venezuela and several countries in Central America. Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous gaseous molecule present in most types of cell and participates in the olfactory pathway of insects. In this work, nitroso-acetyl-cysteine (SNAC), a nitric oxide donor, was topically applied to the antennae of fifth instar nymphs of R. prolixus. After SNAC treatment, these insects showed a dose-dependent reluctance to feed when provided with a living pigeon as the food source (ED50 = 5.2 ug/insect). However, there was no reluctance to feed when dbcGMP was applied to the antennae of nymphs. In another experiment, insects that had their antennae treated with SNAC were less attracted than the control group to a carbon dioxide source. A possible role of NO in the olfactory pathway of R. prolixus is discussed.