Trypanosoma cruzi Parasite Burdens of Several Triatomine Species in Colombia.

ABSTRACT: Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, is mainly transmitted by insects of the Triatominae subfamily. In Colombia, there are 26 triatomine species, and 16 of them are naturally infected with the parasite. The parasite loads of naturally infected vectors can be significant in targeting specific species that can affect the epidemiology of the disease. Studying their ecology and behavior is vital to understand their role in T. cruzi transmission dynamics. We evaluated the parasite loads of 182 field-collected triatomines corresponding to 10 species in 13 departments across Colombia. We standardized a methodology to quantify T. cruzi DNA in these insects. We obtained a LOD (limit of detection) of 3.05 p-eq/mL. The 82% of triatomines we evaluated were positi

SUBMITTER: Velasquez-Ortiz N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9782637 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature