The connection between Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycles by Triatoma brasiliensis brasiliensis: A threat to human health in an area susceptible to desertification in the Serido, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

ABSTRACT: An outbreak of Chagas disease, possibly involving its vector Triatoma brasiliensis brasiliensis, was identified in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (RN). Given the historical significance of this vector in public health, the study aimed to evaluate its role in the transmission dynamics of the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi in an area undergoing desertification in the Seridó region, RN, Brazil. We captured triatomines in sylvatic and anthropic ecotopes. Natural vector infection was determined using parasitological and molecular methods and we identified discrete typing units (DTUs) of T. cruzi by analyzing the COII gene of mtDNA, 24Sα rDNA, and mini-exon gene. Their blood meals sources were identified by amplification and sequencing of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene. A total of 952 T. b. brasilie

SUBMITTER: Lima-Neiva V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8577756 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature