Molecular identification of wild triatomines of the genus Rhodnius in the Bolivian Amazon: Strategy and current difficulties.
The Amazon region has recently been considered as endemic in Latin America. In Bolivia, the vast Amazon region is undergoing considerable human migrations and substantial anthropization of the environment, potentially renewing the danger of establishing the transmission of Chagas disease. The cases of human oral contamination occurring in 2010 in the town of Guayaramerín provided reasons to intensify research. As a result, the goal of this study was to characterize the species of sylvatic triatomines circulating in the surroundings of Yucumo (Beni, Bolivia), a small Amazonian city at the foot of the Andes between the capital (La Paz) and Trinidad the largest city of Beni. The triatomine captures were performed with mice-baited adhesive traps mostly settled in palm trees in forest fragments and pastures. Species were identified by morphological observation, dissection of genitalia, and sequencing of three mitochondrial gene fragments and one nuclear fragment. Molecular analysis was based on (i) the identity score of the haplotypes with GenBank sequences through the BLAST algorithm and (ii) construction of phylogenetic trees. Thirty-four triatomines, all belonging to the Rhodnius genus, of which two were adult males, were captured in palm trees in forest fragments and pastures (overall infestation rate, 12.3%). The morphology of the phallic structures in the two males confirmed the R. stali species. For the other specimens, after molecular sequencing, only one specimen was identified with confidence as belonging to Rhodnius robustus, the others belonged to one of the species of the Rhodnius pictipes complex, probably Rhodnius stali. The two species, R. robustus and R. stali, had previously been reported in the Alto Beni region (edge of the Amazon region), but not yet in the Beni department situated in the Amazon region. Furthermore, the difficulties of molecular characterization of closely related species within the three complexes of the genus Rhodnius are highlighted and discussed.
['Brenière|Simone Frédérique|SF|', 'Condori|Edwin Wily|EW|', 'Buitrago|Rosio|R|', 'Sosa|Luis Fernando|LF|', 'Macedo|Catarina Lopes|CL|', 'Barnabé|Christian|C|']
D000818:Animals D028023:Arecaceae D001838:Bolivia D002467:Cell Nucleus D014355:Chagas Disease D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial D005260:Female D006239:Haplotypes D006801:Humans D019476:Insect Proteins D007303:Insect Vectors D008297:Male D008928:Mitochondria D010802:Phylogeny D012239:Rhodnius D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi
Chagas Sequencing Gene Molecular genetics Triatominae