Olfactory responses in the brain of triatomines, hematophagous insects vectors of Chagas disease

LUCÍA IBARRA BOUZADA ; IRVING MAY CONCHA; MAILEN GARCÍA ; ANDRÉS PERUSSET ; CECERE MC; JULIO ROJAS LEON; PABLO GUERENSTEIN

Jornada; International Society of Chemical Ecology 35th Annual Meeting.; 2019

Chagas disease is an important vector-borne neglected tropical disease. The prevention of vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease in endemic areas relies on suppressing house infestations by triatomine bugs. Triatoma infestans is the main vector species in the southern cone countries of South America. We aim at developing an efficient host-based odor blend attractant to be used as a lure in a trap to monitor triatomines. In insects, odorants are detected by olfactory receptor cells (ORCs) mainly on the antenna. Insect ORCs project to the antennal lobe (AL) in the brain. The AL is the first information-processing center of the olfactory system. Odor mixtures are more attractive than single odorants. In order to understand how information about potentially attractive odor mixtures is processed in the triatomine brain it is necessary to study the responses of AL neurons to single odorants and their mixtures. Using a multichannel recording technique we recorded the activity of neurons in the AL of T. infestans nymphs upon stimulation with synthetic and natural odorants. Responses to a number of synthetic and natural odorants or their mixtures were obtained. Synthetic odors included (+)a-pinene, valeric acid, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal, isobutyric acid, isobutylamine, ammonia, indole, benzyl alcohol, acetophenone, pyruvic acid, L(+)lactic acid, 3-methyl 1-butanol, and propionaldehide;(some of them not previously known to be detected by triatomines).