First report of Rhodnius stali (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) in the State of Acre and in the Brazilian Amazon

First report of Rhodnius stali Lent, Jurberg & Galvão, 1993 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), vector of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcI) and Trypanosoma rangeli (TrA), in Rondônia, Southwestern Brazilian Amazonia

Triatomines are hematophagous insects of epidemiological importance as they are vectors of Chagas disease. The first report of Rhodnius stali Lent, Jurberg & Galvão, 1993 in Rondônia, Brazil, is described. The insects were captured on palm trees of the genus Oenocarpus sp. Two adult male specimens of R. stali were identified and were found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli. The confirmation of this Rhodnius species in Rondônia increases the number of triatomines from nine to ten species in this state.

Occurrence of triatomines (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) and their natural infection by Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) in Boca do Moa community, Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil

INTRODUCTION:

Triatomines are insect vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease.

METHODS:

Triatomines were collected from households and by dissecting palm trees in the peri-urban areas of Cruzeiro do Sul (Acre); they were identified using a specific key and via genital analyses. Trypanosomatid infection was determined through microscopy and polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS:

In total, 116 triatomines of the species Eratyrus mucronatus, Rhodnius pictipes, R. stali, and R. montenegrensis were collected, of which 13.8% were positive for T. cruzi.

CONCLUSIONS:

Four species of triatomines presented an infection rate above 13% in the Boca do Moa community.

Chagas Disease Vectors of Espírito Santo, Brazil: First Report of Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834) (Hemiptera, Triatominae) in the Brazilian State and Development of an Identification Key Based on Cytogenetic Data

Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted, mainly, by hematophagous insects of the Triatominae subfamily. In Brazil, there are currently about 66 triatomine species distributed throughout the country's 27 states. Triatoma infestans is considered as a species of great vectorial importance, mainly because of its biological characteristics, such as the high degree of anthropophilia, adaptation to the home environment, ability to withstand long periods of fasting, and present a wide geographical distribution. Taking into account the epidemiological importance of these species, we carried out the first report of T. infestans in the Espírito Santo, Brazil, and development of an identification key for all species notified in that state, based on cytogenetic data. This information is important because they contribute to the direction of epidemiological surveillance activities carried out by vector control programs of the Espírito Santo, Brazil.

First report of Panstrongylus lignarius (Walker, 1873) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in the State of Acre, Brazil

INTRODUCTION

This communication reports the first occurrence of Panstrongylus lignarius in the State of Acre, Brazil.

METHODS

A specimen of P. lignarius was collected from a residence in a rural area of the municipality of Rio Branco, Acre, Western Amazon.

RESULTS

This new report of P. lignarius extends the distribution of this species to eight Brazilian states, and also increases the number of species of Triatominae described from the state of Acre from nine to ten.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of P. lignarius deserves attention, since this species has the potential for domiciliation and transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi.

First report of Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) in the State of Acre and Rondônia, Amazon, Brazil

INTRODUCTION

This article reports, for the first time, the occurrence of Panstrongylus megistus in the Brazilian Western Amazon.

METHODS

Specimens of P. megistus were collected in the cities of Rio Branco, Acre and Extrema, Rondônia.

RESULTS

The number of triatomine species in the State of Acre increased from eight to nine and in Rondônia from seven to eight. This was also the first report of P. megistus in the Brazilian Western Amazon.

CONCLUSION

The occurrence of P. megistus in the Western Amazon evidences an epidemiological alert, since it is an important vector of T. cruzi.

First report of Rhodnius neglectus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) from the State of Acre, Brazil, and the Brazilian Western Amazon Region

INTRODUCTION

This communication reports the occurrence of Rhodnius neglectus in the State of Acre, Brazil.

METHODS

An adult male R. neglectus specimen was collected from the Catuaba Experimental Reserve, which is located in the municipality of Senador Guiomard.

RESULTS

This increases the number of triatomine species reported from the State of Acre to eight and is also the first report of R. neglectus from the Brazilian Western Amazon Region.

CONCLUSIONS

The occurrence of R. neglectus is alarming because even though the species is wild, it can invade and colonize human dwellings and peridomiciles, thereby increasing Chagas disease transmission.

Rhodnius stali: new vector infected by Trypanosoma rangeli (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae)

INTRODUCTION

Rhodnius stali infection by Trypanosoma rangeli is reported in this study for the first time.

METHODS

The triatomines were collected from the campus of the Federal University of Acre in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. The identification of T. rangeli was confirmed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

The examinations of two specimens revealed R. stali infection by the epimastigote forms of T. rangeli.

CONCLUSIONS

The encounter of R. stali infected by T. rangeli generates an alert for the state of Acre, since the simultaneous presence with Trypanosoma cruzi can make the differential diagnosis of Chagas disease difficult.

First report of Panstrongylus lignarius , Walker, 1873 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae), in the State of Rondônia, Brazil

INTRODUCTION:

This study reports, for the first time, the presence of Panstrongylus lignarius in the State of Rondonia, Brazil.

METHODS:

Specimen of P. lignarius was collected from a flat in an urban area of the municipality of Porto Velho, Western Amazon.

RESULTS:

With this finding of P. lignarius, the number of Triatominae species in the State of Rondonia has increased from six to seven.

CONCLUSIONS:

The occurrence of P. lignarius is worrisome, because this species has been found to be naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and there has been evidence of its domiciliation capabilities in other countries of South America.

Molecular identification of wild triatomines of the genus Rhodnius in the Bolivian Amazon: Strategy and current difficulties

The Amazon region has recently been considered as endemic in Latin America. In Bolivia, the vast Amazon region is undergoing considerable human migrations and substantial anthropization of the environment, potentially renewing the danger of establishing the transmission of Chagas disease. The cases of human oral contamination occurring in 2010 in the town of Guayaramerín provided reasons to intensify research. As a result, the goal of this study was to characterize the species of sylvatic triatomines circulating in the surroundings of Yucumo (Beni, Bolivia), a small Amazonian city at the foot of the Andes between the capital (La Paz) and Trinidad the largest city of Beni. The triatomine captures were performed with mice-baited adhesive traps mostly settled in palm trees in forest fragments and pastures. Species were identified by morphological observation, dissection of genitalia, and sequencing of three mitochondrial gene fragments and one nuclear fragment. Molecular analysis was based on (i) the identity score of the haplotypes with GenBank sequences through the BLAST algorithm and (ii) construction of phylogenetic trees. Thirty-four triatomines, all belonging to the Rhodnius genus, of which two were adult males, were captured in palm trees in forest fragments and pastures (overall infestation rate, 12.3%). The morphology of the phallic structures in the two males confirmed the R. stali species. For the other specimens, after molecular sequencing, only one specimen was identified with confidence as belonging to Rhodnius robustus, the others belonged to one of the species of the Rhodnius pictipes complex, probably Rhodnius stali. The two species, R. robustus and R. stali, had previously been reported in the Alto Beni region (edge of the Amazon region), but not yet in the Beni department situated in the Amazon region. Furthermore, the difficulties of molecular characterization of closely related species within the three complexes of the genus Rhodnius are highlighted and discussed.

Description of Rhodnius marabaensis sp. n. (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) from Pará State, Brazil

Rhodniusmarabaensissp. n. was collected on 12 May 2014 in the Murumurú Environmental Reserve in the city of Marabá, Pará State, Brazil. This study was based on previous consultation of morphological descriptions of 19 Rhodnius species and compared to the identification key for the genus Rhodnius. The examination included specimens from 18 Rhodnius species held in the Brazilian National and International Triatomine Taxonomy Reference Laboratory in the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The morphological characteristics of the head, thorax, abdomen, genitalia, and eggs have been determined. Rhodniusprolixus and Rhodniusrobustus were examined in more detail because the BLAST analysis of a cyt-b sequence shows they are closely related to the new species, which also occurs in the northern region of Brazil. The most notable morphological features that distinguish Rhodniusmarabaensissp. n. are the keel-shaped apex of the head, the length of the second segment of the antennae, the shapes of the prosternum, mesosternum and metasternum, the set of spots on the abdomen, the male genitalia, the posterior and ventral surfaces of the external female genitalia, and the morphological characteristics of the eggs. Rhodniusjacundaensis Serra, Serra & Von Atzingen (1980) nomen nudum specimens deposited at the

Maraba Cultural Center Foundation -

MCCF were examined and considered as a synonym of Rhodniusmarabaensissp. n.