Descripción: The projections of mechanosensory hairs located on the dorsal and lateral head of the adult haematophagous bug Triatoma infestans were analyzed by means of cobalt filling. Axons run into the anterior and posterior tegumentary nerve and project through the brain to the ventral nerve cord. The fibres are small in diameter and run as a fascicle. Some branches run into suboesophageal and prothoracic centres; others run as far as to the mesothoracic ganglion. These sensory projections resemble that of wind-sensitive head hairs of the locust. The functional role of this sensory system in this species is discussed.

Descripción: Simple eyes or ocelli coexist with compound eyes in many adult insects. The change in the morphology of the ocelli along the five larval instars of Triatoma infestans was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. Our analysis showed that the development of the ocelli of these bugs occurs gradually along the larval life. The photoreceptor layer is present from the second-instar onwards. The cornea appears first at the imaginal stage and grows up to the 18-20th day after the last ecdysis, associated to an increase in the retinal mass. Findings are discussed in a comparative fashion and in relation to the functionality of the ocellar system in T. infestans.

Descripción: Factors affecting mating behaviour in the bug Triatoma infestans were quantitatively studied in the laboratory. Experimental conditions were established so that the probability of copulation increased with the time elapsed since the first adult meal. Copulatory attempts by males did not vary as a function of time, but rejections by females became significantly less frequent with the post feeding time. Non-receptive females displayed four types of rejection behaviour, i.e. flattening, stridulation, evasion and abdominal movements. The occurrence of stridulation performed by females in a sexual context was observed in a regular fashion and was quantified for the first time in this species.

Descripción: Fil:Gürtler, R.E. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: Fil:Schweigmann, N. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.

Descripción: The role of short-chain fatty acids in the host-seeking behaviour of Triatoma infestans larvae was investigated using a locomotion compensator. Several short-chain fatty acids were tested alone over a wide range of doses, or in combination with L-lactic acid (L-LA; 100 μg). Bugs showed no attractive response to single carboxylic acids, but when L-LA was added to airstreams carrying specific intensities of either propionic (C3; 100 μg), butyric (C4; 1 μg) or valeric acid (C5; 1 μg), these mixtures elicited an attractive response, evincing a synergistic effect. No orientation response was observed when caproic acid (C6) was offered with L-LA at the doses tested. Two blends were created: (1) C3, C4 and C5 combined at the effective doses when added with L-LA [C3C4C5 (1)], and (2) C3, C4 and C5 combined at a third of those intensities [C3C4C5 (2)]. Both blends were tested alone, with L-LA (100 μg), with a sub-threshold concentration of CO2 (300 p.p.m. above the ambient level), and combined with both compounds together. Oriented responses of bugs were only observed with the blend (2) added with L-LA and with the combination of this lure with CO2. This last combination evoked a behavioural response similar in intensity to that induced by a live mouse. © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.

Descripción: The preference for relative humidity (RH) and suitability of different levels of this environmental parameter were investigated in the haematophagous bug Triatoma brasiliensis Neiva, 1911 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae). The hygropreference of T. brasiliensis was studied using a RH gradient and the effect of different RHs on the egg hatching, nymph mortality and moulting success was also analysed. The results show that egg hatching in first-instar nymphs of T. brasiliensis was lower at extreme RHs and, particularly, it was lowest at 9.3% RH. The survival of starved nymphs was not affected by RH, but the percentage of engorged nymphs and the ecdysis success of these nymphs once fed was diminished strongly by high humidity. Fourth-instar nymphs preferred to stay at the lowest RH during the first 5 days after feeding and during ecdysis. This preference changed markedly during starvation. Fifteen days after ecdysis, the bugs moved towards intermediate humidities, and 30 days after ecdysis they even preferred the most humid sectors of the gradient. Females preferred to lay eggs in dry environments, suggesting that they may not have a particular hygropreference for oviposition, but that they simply lay their eggs at the RHs where they prefer to stay.

Descripción: An entomological and serological survey was performed in three localities of the Department of Concepción, Province of Corrientes, Argentina in 1998 and 1999, to identify triatomines species involved in domestic and wild transmission of Chagas disease. Triatomines were collected by man/hour capture in 32 houses randomly selected and 44 nearby outdoor ecotopes. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in triatomines was assessed by direct microscopic observation (400x) of feces and polymerase chain reaction. Serological techniques used for people were Indirect Hemagglutination Test and Indirect Fluorescent Test. Triatomines were collected in 28.1% of the houses and 31.8% of the wild biotopes. Triatoma infestans (Klug 1834) was exclusively found indoors and T. cruzi infected 60% of them. Triatoma sordida (Stål 1859) was mainly found in extradomtestic ecotopes where trypanosome infection rate reached 12.7%. Serological study of 98 local people showed that 29.6% were seroreactive; most of their houses were closed to wild biotopes colonized by T. sordida. Results indicate that there is an active T. infestans mediated transmission of Chagas disease in this zone that yields important human prevalence and that the populations of T. sordida in wild biotopes not only sustain the wild T. cruzi cycle but also represent an actual risk for people living in the area.

Descripción: A peptide from hindguts of the Triatoma hematophagous Chagas insect vector activates adenylyl cyclase activity in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote membranes and stimulates the in vitro differentiation of epimastigotes to metacyclic trypomastigotes. Hindguts were obtained from insects fed 2 days earlier with chicken blood. Purification was performed by gel filtration and HPLC on C18 and C4 columns. SDS/PAGE of the purified peptide showed a single band of about 10 kDa. The following sequence was determined for the 20 amino-terminal residues of this peptide: H 2N-Met-Leu-Thr-Ala-Glu-Asp-Lys-Lys-Leu-Ile-Gln-Gln-Ala-Trp-Glu-Lys- Ala-Ala-Ser-His. This sequence is identical to the amino terminus of chicken αD-globin. On a Western blot, the peptide immunoreacted with a polyclonal antibody against chicken globin D. A synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 1-40 of the αD-globin amino terminus also stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity and promoted differentiation. This 125I-labeled synthetic peptide bound specifically to T. cruzi epimastigote cells. Activation of epimastigote adenylyl cyclase by the hemoglobin-derived peptide may play an important role in T. cruzi differentiation and consequently in the transmission of Chagas disease.

Descripción: Chagas disease remains a serious obstacle to health and economic development in Latin America, especially for the rural poor. We report the long-term effects of interventions in rural villages in northern Argentina during 1984-2006. Two community-wide campaigns of residual insecticide spraying immediately and strongly reduced domestic infestation and infection with Trypanosoma cruzi in Triatoma infestans bugs and dogs and more gradually reduced the seroprevalence of children <15 years of age. Because no effective surveillance and control actions followed the first campaign in 1985, transmission resurged in 2-3 years. Renewed interventions in 1992 followed by sustained, supervised, community-based vector control largely suppressed the reestablishment of domestic bug colonies and finally led to the interruption of local human T. cruzi transmission. Human incidence of infection was nearly an order of magnitude higher in peripheral rural areas under pulsed, unsupervised, community-based interventions, where human transmission became apparent in 2000. The sustained, supervised, community-based strategy nearly interrupted domestic transmission to dogs but did not eliminate T. infestans despite the absence of pyrethroid-insecticide resistance. T. infestans persisted in part because of the lack of major changes in housing construction and quality. Sustained community participation grew out of establishing a trusted relationship with the affected communities and the local schools. The process included health promotion and community mobilization, motivation, and supervision in close cooperation with locally nominated leaders. © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.

Descripción: This paper compares the predation pressure that ducks and chickens exert on triatomines. For the tests, these birds were placed in individual boxes together with a known number of Triatoma infestans and left to interact from 6 p.m. till the next morning, involving a long lasting period of complete darkness limited by two short-term periods of semi-darkness. There was a shelter which could prevent the bugs from being predated. The number of live and dead triatomines was recorded, considering missing bugs as predated by the birds. Ducks exhibited a greater predatory activity than chickens, that could be due to a long term active period at night while chickens sleep motionless from sunset to dawn. Surviving triatomines that had fed on chickens outnumbered those fed on ducks suggesting that these were less accessible to the triatomine biting. If ducks are better than chickens to detect and eat bugs and to interfere with their feeding in the field, an increase in duck number might help to diminish triatomine density. Further research is needed to determine the feasibility of application of these experimental results.