28 research outputs found
Comparative Developmental and Susceptibility to Insecticide of Bolivian and Brazilian Populations of Triatoma infestans
The triatomine bug Triatoma infestans probably originated in Bolivia
and dispersed passively over wide areas of South America, where it is
the principal vector of Trypanosoma cruzi. In the region of its
probable origin this species shows colonization in two different
ecotopes, so that it may be encountered in sylvatic as well as in
artificial habitats. The sylvatic colonization pattern is not observed
in the rest of its range, where T. infestans is exclusive to man-made
habitats. The objective of this study was to compare several aspects of
two T. infestans populations, one from Minas Gerais (Brazil) and the
other from the Cochabamba Valley (Bolivia), with a view to elucidate
the factors associated with the different colonization patterns
observed for this species. The differences between the developmental
cycle, weight, capacity to ingest blood and mortality rate of first
instar nymphs should indicate more fragility of Brazilian population
that may be related to its elimination possibility
Variations of the external male genitalia in three populations of Triatoma infestans Klug, 1834
Triatoma infestans is the triatomine that presents the greatest
dispersion area in South America. However, it is not known whether the
original characteristics of this insect remained in its long dispersion
process. The purpose of this work was to study comparatively the
external male genitalia of insects from different populations of T.
infestans, two from Brazil (Minas Gerais and Bahia) and one from
Bolivia (Cochabamba Valley), and to investigate the correlation between
the morphological and behavioral variations. Differences were observed
in one of the structures of the external genitalia (endosoma process)
that could be used to characterize the insects from the three
populations studied