The parasite load of Trypanosoma cruzi modulates feeding and defecation patterns of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans

Chacón, F., Bacigalupo, A., Álvarez-Duhart, B., Cattan, P. E., Solís, R. and Muñoz-San Martín, C. (2022) The parasite load of Trypanosoma cruzi modulates feeding and defecation patterns of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans. Microorganisms, 10(5), 1003. (doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10051003) (PMID:35630447) (PMCID:PMC9143535)

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.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID), FONDECYT grant number 1180940 (C.M.-S.M., A.B., R.S., P.E.C.), FONDECYT Postdoctorado grant number 3170799 (C.M.-S.M.), and Programa Becas-Beca Doctorado Nacional ANID 2017–grant number 21171903 (F.C.), Doctorado Becas Chile 2019–grant number 72200391 (A.B.).
• Keywords: Chagas disease, behavior, feeding, defecation, host–parasite interactions, insect vector, parasite load, triatominae, Trypanosoma cruzi, Triatoma infestans.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bacigalupo Bacigalupo, Antonella Eugenia

Creator Roles

Bacigalupo, A.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review and editing, Project administration

• Authors: Chacón, F., Bacigalupo, A., Álvarez-Duhart, B., Cattan, P. E., Solís, R., and Muñoz-San Martín, C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Microorganisms
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-2607
• ISSN (Online): 2076-2607
• Published Online: 10 May 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Microorganisms 10(5): 1003
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License