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DNA evidence of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Chilean wild vector Mepraia spinolai (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

2005; Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Ministério da Saúde; Volume: 100; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/s0074-02762005000300003

1678-8060

Carezza Botto‐Mahan, Sylvia Ortiz, Marlene Rozas, Pedro E. Cattan, Aldo Solari,

Insect Resistance and Genetics

Molecular evidence showed 46.2% of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Mepraia spinolai insects from North-Central Chile, which is significantly higher than previous reports of up to 26% by microscopic observation. Our results show similar infection levels among nymphal stages, ranging from 38.3 to 54.1%, indicating that younger nymphs could be as important as older ones in parasite transmission. A cautionary note must be stressed to indicate the potential role of M. spinolai in transmitting T. cruzi in country areas due to the high infection level detected by molecular analysis.