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Verly T, Pita S, Carbajal-de-la-Fuente AL, Burgueño-Rodríguez G, Piccinali RV, Fiad FG, Ríos N, Panzera F, Lobbia P, Sánchez-Casaccia P, Rojas de Arias A, Cavallo MJ, Gigena GV, Rodríguez CS, Nattero J. Relationship between genetic diversity and morpho-functional characteristics of flight-related traits in Triatoma garciabesi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:145. [PMID: 38500121 PMCID: PMC10949591 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06211-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triatoma garciabesi, a potential vector of the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which is the causative agent of Chagas disease, is common in peridomestic and wild environments and found throughout northwestern and central Argentina, western Paraguay and the Bolivian Chaco. Genetic differentiation of a species across its range can help to understand dispersal patterns and connectivity between habitats. Dispersal by flight is considered to be the main active dispersal strategy used by triatomines. In particular, the morphological structure of the hemelytra is associated with their function. The aim of this study was to understand how genetic diversity is structured, how morphological variation of dispersal-related traits varies with genetic diversity and how the morphological characteristics of dispersal-related traits may explain the current distribution of genetic lineages in this species. METHODS Males from 24 populations of T. garciabesi across its distribution range were examined. The cytochrome c oxidase I gene (coI) was used for genetic diversity analyses. A geometric morphometric method based on landmarks was used for morpho-functional analysis of the hemelytra. Centroid size (CS) and shape of the forewing, and contour of both parts of the forewing, the head and the pronotum were characterised. Length and area of the forewing were measured to estimate the aspect ratio. RESULTS The morphometric and phylogenetic analysis identified two distinct lineages, namely the Eastern and Western lineages, which coincide with different ecological regions. The Eastern lineage is found exclusively in the eastern region of Argentina (Chaco and Formosa provinces), whereas the Western lineage is prevalent in the rest of the geographical range of the species. CS, shape and aspect ratio of the hemelytra differed between lineages. The stiff portion of the forewing was more developed in the Eastern lineage. The shape of both portions of the hemelytra were significantly different between lineages, and the shape of the head and pronotum differed between lineages. CONCLUSIONS The results provide preliminary insights into the evolution and diversification of T. garciabesi. Variation in the forewing, pronotum and head is congruent with genetic divergence. Consistent with genetic divergence, morphometry variation was clustered according to lineages, with congruent variation in the size and shape of the forewing, pronotum and head.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thaiane Verly
- Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias (CeNDIE), Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos Malbrán" (ANLIS), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sebastián Pita
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Ana Laura Carbajal-de-la-Fuente
- Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias (CeNDIE), Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos Malbrán" (ANLIS), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Romina V Piccinali
- Departamento de Ecología Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), CONICET/Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Federico G Fiad
- Cátedras de Introducción a la Biología y Morfología Animal, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Néstor Ríos
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Francisco Panzera
- Sección Genética Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Patricia Lobbia
- Unidad Operativa de Vectores y Ambiente (UnOVE), Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos Malbrán", Centro Nacional de Diagnostico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias (CeNDIE), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Paz Sánchez-Casaccia
- Centro Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en Endemo-Epidemias (CeNDIE), Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud "Dr. Carlos Malbrán" (ANLIS), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica (CEDIC), Asunción, Paraguay
| | | | - María José Cavallo
- Centro Regional de Energía y Ambiente Para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CREAS-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Catamarca (UNCA), San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina
| | - Gisel V Gigena
- Cátedras de Introducción a la Biología y Morfología Animal, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Claudia S Rodríguez
- Cátedras de Introducción a la Biología y Morfología Animal, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas (IIByT), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)/Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Julieta Nattero
- Departamento de Ecología Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), CONICET/Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Piccinali RV, Gaspe MS, Nattero J, Gürtler RE. Population structure and migration in Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) from the Argentine Chaco: An integration of genetic and morphometric data. Acta Trop 2023; 247:107010. [PMID: 37666351 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetic and morphological structure of vector populations are useful to identify panmictic groups, reinfestation sources and minimal units for control interventions. Currently, no studies have integrated genetic and morphometric data in Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), one of the main vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. We characterized the genetic and phenotypic structure of T. infestans at a small spatial scale (2-8 km), identified potential migrants and compared flight-related traits among genetic groups and between migrant and non-migrant insects in a well-defined area without insecticide spraying in the previous 12 years. We obtained microsatellite genotypes (N = 303), wing shape and size (N = 164) and body weight-to-length ratios (N = 188) in T. infestans from 11 houses in Pampa del Indio, Argentine Chaco. The uppermost level of genetic structuring partially agreed with the morphological groups, showing high degrees of substructuring. The genetic structure showed a clear spatial pattern around Route 3 and one genetic group overlapped with an area of persistent infestation and insecticide resistance. Females harboured more microsatellite alleles than males, which showed signs of isolation-by-distance. Wing shape discriminant analyses of genetic groups revealed low reclassification scores whereas wing size differed among genetic groups for both sexes. Potential migrants (8%) did not differ from non-migrants in sex, ecotope, wing shape and size. However, male migrants had lower W/L than non-migrants suggesting poorer nutritional state. Our findings may contribute to the understanding of population characteristics, dispersal dynamics and ongoing elimination efforts of T. infestans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romina V Piccinali
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología. Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina.
| | - M Sol Gaspe
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología. Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina
| | - Julieta Nattero
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología. Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina
| | - Ricardo E Gürtler
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución. Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología. Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina; CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires C1428EGA, Argentina
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Weir EH, Rabinovich JE. Population size regulation is density-dependent in Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) through an irritability mechanism. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2023; 118:e220211. [PMID: 37283377 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760220211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Physical factors can determine the level of triatomine abundance, but do not regulate their population densities, and neither do natural enemies. OBJECTIVES To identify the processes associated with density-dependent triatomine population regulation. METHODS We set-up a laboratory experiment with four interconnected boxes; the central box harbored Rhodnius prolixus bugs and one hamster. Stage 5 and adult densities of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 bugs per hamster, were replicated four times (except the density of 60 bugs). Hamster's irritability and several triatomine responses were measured: feeding, development time and longevity, mortality, fecundity, dispersal, and the net reproductive value (R o ). FINDINGS Density had a statistically significant effect on irritability, but not on the percent of bugs feeding. Density was significant on blood meal size ingested in bugs that did not move between boxes, but not significant when the bugs moved. Density and irritability affected the proportion of stage 5 nymphs molting, and the proportion of adult bugs dying per day and over a three-week period. There was a highly significant effect of density and irritability on R o . MAIN CONCLUSIONS We showed that a density-dependent mechanism, acting through the irritability of the host, seems the most plausible process regulating populations in triatomines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jorge Eduardo Rabinovich
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, La Plata, Argentina
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Chacón F, Bacigalupo A, Álvarez-Duhart B, Cattan PE, Solís R, Muñoz-San Martín C. The Parasite Load of Trypanosoma cruzi Modulates Feeding and Defecation Patterns of the Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma infestans. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10051003. [PMID: 35630447 PMCID: PMC9143535 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10051003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causal agent of Chagas disease, a parasitic zoonosis transmitted mainly through the feces of triatomine insects. Triatoma infestans is the main triatomine vector of this disease in South America. Previous research has shown that T. cruzi infection modifies the behavior of triatomines. We evaluated, for the first time, the effect of parasite load on feeding and defecation behavior, which we quantified by using real-time PCR. The detection time of the host was shorter in infected individuals, and the number of bites increased, while the dejection time was reduced when compared with the non-infected group. A significant correlation between the parasite load and the behavioral changes registered in the infected triatomines was found. These results would indicate that the intensity of T. cruzi infection modulates the feeding and defecation behavior of T. infestans, increasing the vector competence of this triatomine vector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Chacón
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (F.C.); (A.B.); (B.Á.-D.); (P.E.C.)
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Campus Sur, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile
| | - Antonella Bacigalupo
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (F.C.); (A.B.); (B.Á.-D.); (P.E.C.)
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Bárbara Álvarez-Duhart
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (F.C.); (A.B.); (B.Á.-D.); (P.E.C.)
| | - Pedro E. Cattan
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (F.C.); (A.B.); (B.Á.-D.); (P.E.C.)
| | - Rigoberto Solís
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8820808, Chile; (F.C.); (A.B.); (B.Á.-D.); (P.E.C.)
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (C.M.-S.M.); Tel.: +56-229-785-527 (R.S.); +56-229-785-637 (C.M.-S.M.)
| | - Catalina Muñoz-San Martín
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago 8370854, Chile
- Núcleo de Investigaciones Aplicadas en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas, Universidad de las Américas, Campus Providencia, Santiago 7500975, Chile
- Correspondence: (R.S.); (C.M.-S.M.); Tel.: +56-229-785-527 (R.S.); +56-229-785-637 (C.M.-S.M.)
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Busselman RE, Hamer SA. Chagas Disease Ecology in the United States: Recent Advances in Understanding Trypanosoma cruzi Transmission Among Triatomines, Wildlife, and Domestic Animals and a Quantitative Synthesis of Vector-Host Interactions. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2021; 10:325-348. [PMID: 34758274 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-013120-043949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease present in the Americas, is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and is transmitted by triatomine kissing bug vectors. Hundreds of vertebrate host species are involved in the ecology of Chagas disease. The sylvatic nature of most triatomines found in the United States accounts for high levels of animal infections but few reports of human infections. This review focuses on triatomine distributions and animal infections in the southern United States. A quantitative synthesis of available US data from triatomine bloodmeal analysis studies shows that dogs, humans, and rodents are key taxa for feeding triatomines. Imperfect and unvalidated diagnostic tools in wildlife complicate the study of animal T. cruzi infections, and integrated vector management approaches are needed to reduce parasite transmission in nature. The diversity of animal species involved in Chagas disease ecology underscores the importance of a One Health approach for disease research and management. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, Volume 10 is February 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Busselman
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA;
| | - Sarah A Hamer
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA;
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Nattero J, Mougabure-Cueto G, Debat V, Gürtler RE. Phenotypic plasticity, canalisation and developmental stability of Triatoma infestans wings: effects of a sublethal application of a pyrethroid insecticide. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:355. [PMID: 34229739 PMCID: PMC8259426 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04857-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triatomine control campaigns have traditionally consisted of spraying the inside of houses with pyrethroid insecticides. However, exposure to sublethal insecticide doses after the initial application is a common occurrence and may have phenotypic consequences for survivors. Here, using Triatoma infestans (the main vector of Chagas disease in the Southern Cone of South America) as a model species, we quantified the effects of exposure to a sublethal dose of pyrethroid insecticide on wing morphology. We tested if the treatment (i) induced a plastic effect (change in the character mean); (ii) altered environmental canalisation (higher individual variation within genotypes); (iii) altered genetic canalisation (higher variation among genotypes); and (iv) altered developmental stability (higher fluctuating asymmetry [FA]). METHODS Each of 25 full-sib families known to be susceptible to pyrethroid insecticides were split in two groups: one to be treated with a sublethal dose of deltamethrin (insecticide-treated group) and the other to be treated with pure acetone (control group). Wings of the emerging adults were used in a landmark-based geometric morphometry analysis to extract size and shape measurements. Average differences among treatments were measured. Levels of variation among families, among individuals within families and among sides within individuals were computed and compared among treatments. RESULTS Wing size and shape were affected by a sublethal dose of deltamethrin. The treated insects had larger wings and a more variable wing size and shape than control insects. For both wing size and shape, genetic variation was higher in treated individuals. Individual variations and variations in FA were also greater in deltamethrin-treated insects than in control ones for all full-sib families; however, the patterns of shape variation associated with genetic variation, individual variation and FA were different. CONCLUSIONS Insects exposed to a sublethal dose of deltamethrin presented larger, less symmetrical and less canalised wings. The insecticide treatment jointly impaired developmental stability and genetic and environmental canalisation. The divergent patterns of shape variation suggest that the related developmental buffering processes differed at least partially. The morphological modifications induced by a single sublethal exposure to pyrethroids early in life may impinge on subsequent flight performance and consequently affect the dynamics of house invasion and reinfestation, and the effectiveness of triatomine control operations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Nattero
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución/Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (CONICET-IEGEBA), CONICET–Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Gastón Mougabure-Cueto
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Triatominos (LIT), Centro de Referencia de Vectores (CeReVe), Ministerio de Salud de La Nación, Santa María de Punilla, Córdoba, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigación Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Vincent Debat
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) (UMR7205), CNMuséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) and Université des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Ricardo E. Gürtler
- Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución/Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (CONICET-IEGEBA), CONICET–Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Rabinovich JE. Morphology, Life Cycle, Environmental Factors and Fitness – a Machine Learning Analysis in Kissing Bugs (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae). Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.651683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations are permanently evolving and their evolution will influence their survival and reproduction, which will then alter demographic parameters. Several phenotypic, life history and environmental variables are known to be related to fitness measures. The goal of this article was to look into the possible types of those relationships in insects of the subfamily Triatominae, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. After an exhaustive literature review of 7,207 records of publications referring exclusively to all possible features of the triatomines, using 15 keywords those records were reduced to 2,968 publications, that were analyzed individually; after deleting those publications that did not have the data in quantitative form as needed for the objective of this article, I found that 171 papers were adequate for the present analysis. From them I compiled a dataset of 11 variables and 90 cases from 36 triatomine species. Those variables included four environmental, two life cycle, and four morphological variables, and one demographic parameter: a fitness measure (the population intrinsic rate of natural increase, r0), used as dependent variable. However, the relationship between T. cruzi and its vector host was not included in this analysis despite triatomine-T. cruzi interactions constitute an important factor in the evolution of triatomine’s life history. I resorted to the Random Forest method as a machine learning approach for the analysis of this dataset, and found that –in addition to the triatomine species themselves– only the two life cycle variables (mean development time from egg to adult, and mean fecundity, expressed as the average number of female eggs laid per female per day) were statistically significant in determining fitness (r0). The machine learning approach used in the analysis provided a similar but deeper insight into these relationships than classical regression. Except for an analysis on senescence, this is the first study in triatomines addressing these questions. These results will be useful for other theoretical optimization approaches (frequency-dependence, density-dependence, evolutionary game theory, and adaptive dynamics), thus contributing to the theoretical framework for interpreting the succession of stages in insect adaptations, a framework yet to be constructed.
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Vilaseca C, Méndez MA, Pinto CF, Lemic D, Benítez HA. Unraveling the Morphological Variation of Triatoma infestans in the Peridomestic Habitats of Chuquisaca Bolivia: A Geometric Morphometric Approach. Insects 2021; 12:insects12020185. [PMID: 33671621 PMCID: PMC7926573 DOI: 10.3390/insects12020185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Morphometrics has been used on Triatomines, a well-known phenotypically variable insect, to understand the process of morphological plasticity and infer the changes of this phenomenon. The following research was carried out in two regions of the inter-Andean valleys and two Chaco regions of Chuquisaca-Bolivia. Triatoma infestans adults were collected from the peridomestic (pens and chicken coops) along a geographic gradient in order to evaluate the morphological differentiation between groups and their pattern of sexual shape dimorphism. Geometric morphometric methods were applied on the wings and heads of T. infestans. The main findings include that we proved sexual dimorphism in heads and wings, determined the impact of environmental factors on size and shape and validated the impact of nutrition on head shape variation. These results show that geometric morphometric procedures can be used to provide key insight into the biological adaptation of T. infestans on different biotic (nutrition) and abiotic (environment) conditions, which could serve in understanding and evaluating infestation processes and further vector control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Vilaseca
- Laboratorio de Ecología Química, Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Sucre, Bolivia; (C.V.); (C.F.P.)
| | - Marco A. Méndez
- Laboratorio de Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 6640022, Chile;
| | - Carlos F. Pinto
- Laboratorio de Ecología Química, Universidad Mayor Real y Pontificia San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca, Sucre, Bolivia; (C.V.); (C.F.P.)
| | - Darija Lemic
- Department of Agricultural Zoology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia;
| | - Hugo A. Benítez
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Morfometría Evolutiva, Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 3466706, Chile
- Correspondence:
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Ordóñez-Krasnowski PC, Lanati LA, Gaspe MS, Cardinal MV, Ceballos LA, Gürtler RE. Domestic host availability modifies human-triatomine contact and host shifts of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans in the humid Argentine Chaco. Med Vet Entomol 2020; 34:459-469. [PMID: 32700806 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Domestic animals may affect human-vector contact and parasite transmission rates. We investigated the relationships between host-feeding choices, site-specific host availability, bug nutritional status, stage and abundance of Triatoma infestans Klug (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in rural houses of Pampa del Indio during spring. We identified the bloodmeal sources of 865 triatomines collected in 70 sites from four main ecotopes. The main sources in domiciles were human (65.9%), chicken (23.4%) and dog (22.4%); dog (64.4%, 35.3%) and chicken (33.1%, 75.4%) in kitchens and storerooms, respectively; and chicken (94.7%) in chicken coops. Using random-intercept logistic regression clustered by domicile, the fraction of human-fed triatomines strongly decreased with increasing proportions of chicken- and dog-fed bugs, dropping from 96.4% when no chicken or dog slept indoors at night to 59.4% when both did. The fraction of dog-fed bugs significantly decreased with increasing human and chicken blood indices, and marginally increased with an indoor-resting dog. Mixed blood meals occurred 3.62 times more often when a chicken or a dog slept indoors. Host blood source did not affect mean body weight adjusted for body length and bug stage. Indoor-resting chickens and dogs greatly modified human-bug contact rates, and may be targeted with long-lasting systemic insecticides to suppress infestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- P C Ordóñez-Krasnowski
- Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L A Lanati
- Instituto Nacional de Diagnóstico e Investigación en la Enfermedad de Chagas Dr Mario Fatala Chaben, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M S Gaspe
- Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M V Cardinal
- Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L A Ceballos
- Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley, Turin, Italy
| | - R E Gürtler
- Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires (IEGEBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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10
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Vilaseca C, Méndez MA, Pinto CF, Benítez HA. Assessment of Shape Variation Patterns in Triatoma infestans (Klug 1834) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae): A First Report in Populations from Bolivia. Insects 2020; 11:E274. [PMID: 32365855 DOI: 10.3390/insects11050274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The morphological variations of four populations of geographically isolated Triatoma infestans located in the area of inter-Andean valleys and Chaco of Chuquisaca, Bolivia, were evaluated. Fifty-three females and sixty-one males were collected in the peri-domicile and analyzed with geometric morphometrics tools to study the patterns of the head and wing shape variation. The principal component analysis and canonical variate analysis revealed morphological variations between the populations studied, which were then confirmed by the permutation test of the differences between populations using Mahalanobis and Procustes distances. The multivariate regression analysis shows that the centroid size influences the shape of the heads and wings. T. infestans of the inter-Andean valleys are longer in the head and wings compared to the population of the Chaco. We propose that the geometric shape variation may be explained by geographical changes in climatic conditions, peri-domiciliar habitats, food source quality, and the use of insecticides.
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11
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Nattero J, Piccinali RV, Gaspe MS, Gürtler RE. Fluctuating asymmetry and exposure to pyrethroid insecticides in Triatoma infestans populations in northeastern Argentina. Infect Genet Evol 2019; 74:103925. [PMID: 31220610 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.103925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 05/25/2019] [Accepted: 06/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a phenotypic marker used as indicator of developmental stress or instability, is sometimes associated with insecticide application and resistance. Here we investigated the occurrence and amount of wing size and wing shape FA in Triatoma infestans females and males collected before and 4 months after a community-wide pyrethroid spraying campaign in a well-defined rural area of Pampa del Indio, Argentina. Moderate levels of pyrethroid resistance were previously confirmed for this area, and postspraying house infestation was mainly attributed to this condition. In the absence of insecticide-based selective pressures over the previous 12 years, we hypothesized that 1- if postspraying triatomines were mostly survivors to insecticide spraying (pyrethroid resistant), they would have higher levels of FA than prespraying triatomines. 2- if postspraying triatomines have a selective advantage, they would have lower FA levels than their prespraying counterparts, whereas if postspraying infestation was positively associated with immigrants not exposed to the insecticide, prespraying and postspraying triatomines would display similar FA levels. For 243 adult T. infestans collected at identified sites before insecticide spraying and 112 collected 4 months postspraying, wing size and wing shape asymmetry was estimated from landmark configurations of left and right sides of each individual. At population level, wing size and shape FA significantly decreased in both females and males after spraying. Males displayed greater wing size and shape FA than females. However, at a single peridomestic site that was persistently infested after spraying, FA declined similarly in females whereas the reverse pattern occurred in males. Our results suggest differential survival of adults with more symmetric wings. This pattern may be related to a selective advantage of survivors to insecticide spraying, which may be mediated or not by their pyrethroid-resistant status or to lower triatomine densities after insecticide spraying and the concomitant increase in feeding success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Nattero
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Romina Valeria Piccinali
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - María Sol Gaspe
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Ricardo Esteban Gürtler
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Laboratorio de Eco-Epidemiología, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón 2, C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina; CONICET - Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución (IEGEBA), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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