Objetivos: en el presente estudio, se documentó la biología reproductiva de dos poblaciones de T. infestans provenientes de los Valles Mesotérmicos Andinos (20 de Octubre) y del Chaco Serrano (Mataral), en condiciones de laboratorio. Métodos: se utilizaron 15 parejas de T. infestans por población (Mataral y 20 de Octubre) y como población control colonias de T. infestans de laboratorio; siendo alimentados en gallinas durante 45 minutos y mantenidos en una cámara climática a 28±3°C, 60±5%. Se calcularon los siguientes parámetros e índices: Fecundidad, Fertilidad, Índice de Ovipostura (IO), Índice de Fertilidad (IF). Resultados: se observó que las cepa de T. infestans de la localidad 20 de Octubre, presentaron mayor número de huevos; fecundidad promedio por día de (1.95±1.5), una fertilidad de 95.6%, (IO) promedio fue de 0.43 y (IF) promedio de 0.9. Análisis estadísticos indicaron que la localidad 20 de Octubre presentó valores significativos entre variables de número de huevos y peso de los triatominos con una relación de R2=0,77 y una correlación de Pearson (p=0,0008). Conclusiones: en condiciones de laboratorio poblaciones diferentes de T. infestans de diferentes regiones de Bolivia presentan patrones de Fecundidad y Fertilidad diferentes; estos datos son de suma importancia para ser considerados por los Programas de Control Vectorial ya que el ciclo biológico de una misma especie vectora puede variar en función al área geográfica, por lo cual es muy importante continuar con estudios que describan y ayuden a comprender la biología de las principales especies vectores en Bolivia.

Objectives: in the present study, we documented the reproductive biology of two populations of T. infestans, from the mesothermic Andean Valleys (20 de Octubre) and the Chaco Serrano (Mataral) in laboratory conditions. Methods: there was used 15 pairs of T. infestans populations (Mataral and 20 de Octubre). The control population was colonies of T. infestans from laboratory. The insects were fed on chickens for 45 minutes and kept in a climate chamber at 28 ± 3 ° C, 60 ± 5%. The following parameters and rates were calculated: Fecundity, Fertility, oviposition index (IO), fertility index (FI). Results: it was observed that the T. infestans strain from 20 de Octubre locality, presented the greatest number of eggs per day, with a daily fecundity average rate of (1.95 ± 1.5), a fertility of 95.6% (IO) averaged 0.43 (IF) average of 0.9. Statistical analysis shown that the 20 de octubre locality, presented significant values between variables of number of eggs and the weight of triatomines with a ratio of R2 = 0.77 and a significant Pearson correlation. Conclusions: under laboratory conditions two different populations of T. infestans coming from different regions of Bolivia, shown different patterns of fecundity and fertility, these data are of valuable importance to be considered by vector control programs, since showed that the life cycle of the same vector species may vary according to geographical area, therefore, is very important to continue with studies that describe and help to understand the biology of the main vector species in Bolivia.

Triatoma guasayana (Wygodzinsky & Abalos) is a peridomestic triatomine with epidemiological importance in Bolivia, that may play an important role in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas). In this study, two parameters of vectorial capacity were evaluated: the interval of feeding-defecation time and metacyclogenesis, in adult males and females and nymphal instars II to V of T. guasayana with comparisons with Triatoma infestans (Klug) and T. sordida (Stal). The results showed a close relationship between ingestion of blood and beginning of defecation. Values were negative in T. infestans, and T. sordida for instars II, III, IV, and V and also males and females but were positive in female T. sordida. Triatoma guasayana showed only negative values for instar II. Adults and nymphs began defecation as soon as they had finished feeding and required an average of 29.8 min. The analysis of metacyclogenesis showed that T. guasayana was superior to T. infestans and T. sordida. However, the vectorial effectiveness of T. guasayana was significantly affected regarding the percentage of metacyclic trypomastigotes during instars III to V and showed a progressive increase. Females had higher proportions despite their ingestion being half that of T. infestans. The different instars of T. guasayana had a higher parasitic load than those of T. sordida and, although ingestion was 1/3 of that of female T. infestans, there was a progressive increase in metacyclic trypomastigotes in the different nymphal stages of T. guasayana that decreased in adults.

INTRODUÇÃO: Triatoma pseudomaculata e T. wygodzinskyi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) são dois vetores Brasileiros da doença de Chagas. A primeira é uma espécie arborícola em ambiente silvestre e considerada vetor do T. cruzi em estruturas peridomesticas. A segunda é rupícola em ambientes silvestres e sem importância epidemiológica. Com o objetivo de testar a hipótese que espécies irmãs compartilham características semelhantes, realizamos um estudo comparativo do ciclo biológico e ingesta alimentar. MÉTODOS: Ovos pertencentes a cinco fêmeas de cada espécie provenientes do campo foram selecionados aleatoriamente. As ninfas foram observadas diariamente e alimentadas com camundongos semanalmente. O tempo requerido para passar até o estágio adulto foi registrado em dias. Os triatomíneos foram pesados individualmente antes e depois da alimentação. A mortalidade de cada estágio foi calculada. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÕES: Analise dos resultados mostram que eles exibem pequenas diferencias biológicas apesar de apresentarem diferenças marcantes quanto a sua ecologia. Isso sugere que as características biológicos são critérios importantes para determinar a relação entre as espécies.

INTRODUCTION: Triatoma pseudomaculata and T. wygodzinskyi (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) are two Brazilian vectors of Chagas disease. The first is an arboricolous species in sylvatic environment and considered a vector of T. cruzi in peridomestic structures; the second, a rupicolous species in the wild environment of no epidemiological importance. In order to test the assumption that sister species share biological traits, comparative studies of their development cycle and blood ingestion were conducted. METHODS: Eggs laid by five field females of each species were randomly selected. The nymphs were observed daily and fed on mice weekly. The time required to pass through the different stages to adulthood was recorded in days. The triatomines were weighed individually before and after feeding. The mortality rate according to each nymphal stage was calculated. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the results shows that they display only minor biological differences even though they exhibit a distinct ecology. This suggests that the biological traits are important criteria to determine the relationship between species.

The current persistence of Triatoma infestans, and therefore of Chagas disease transmission, in the Andean valleys of Bolivia and the Gran Chaco (precisely where wild populations of the vector are widespread), indicates a possible relationship between these two occurrences. This paper provides an overview of the current knowledge regarding wild T. infestans in Bolivia. The different morphs of the wild vector, their known distributions and some traits of their biology and ecology are presented. Particularly interesting is the considerable behavioural and chromatic plasticity that is displayed by wild T. infestans. According to the biogeographic region, different morphs of the vector occur in rupicolous habitats (common form and Mataral morph in Andean wild T. infestans) or arboreal ones ("dark morph" populations from the Chaco). The high genetic variability found at the microgeographical scale in Andean wild T. infestans favours the hypothesis that the Andes were the centre of origin and dispersal of T. infestans throughout South America. The relevant question regarding the origin of domestic populations is also addressed. Finally, current considerations of the epidemiological significance of wild T. infestans are discussed in the context of recent discoveries. Even if several observations support the epidemiological risk represented by wild T. infestans, the climatic and environmental conditions of their distribution areas would not favour the continued flow of triatomines between sylvatic refuges and domestic environments.

As informações sobre a ecologia de Triatominae silvestres são ainda incompletas, sobretudo porque as espécies mais importantes, alvos dos programas de controle, são exclusivamente domésticas. Registros de espécies silvestres invadindo as habitações humanas devem ser investigados para ampliação do conhecimento de sua ecologia no ambiente natural, de modo que se possa compreender melhor o processo de domiciliação e se criar novas estratégias para vigilância.

Observations on the ecology of silvatic Triatominae are still fragmentary, principally because target species in control process are almost exclusively domestic. Report of silvatic species invading human dwellings must lead research to be focused on their original ecology, in order to assist in understanding their process of domestication and devising strategies for surveillance.

Triatoma rubrovaria has become the most frequently captured triatomine species since the control of T. infestans in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. In order to evaluate the genetic variability of this species, field collections were performed in four municipalities where it has been reported and distant from 75 to 322 km. Specimens were analyzed by color pattern and isoenzymes. Nine enzymatic loci were interpreted from nine enzymatic systems. The Santiago population was isolated from the others with chromatic monomorphism and diagnostic alleles at Idh and Pgm loci. The study shows the existence of, at least, two distinct populations of T. rubrovaria in RS with different phenotypic and genetic pattern.

There are several specific complexes belonging to the genus Triatoma Laporte, 1832, which are generally associated to specific geographic areas. Recent publications have linked the oliveirai complex to ecosystems of Mato Grosso, which are also present in other Brazilian states and even in other bordering countries as eastern Paraguay. The study of the abundant material collected during the last years allowed the description of several new species of the oliveirai complex: T. jurbergi Carcavallo, Galvão & Lent, 1998; T. baratai Carcavallo & Jurberg, 2000 and T. klugi Carcavallo, Jurberg, Lent & Galvão, 2001. Another new species belonging to the same complex is described here as T. vandae sp.n. It originates from the state of Mato Grosso, and has been reared in the insectary of the Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro.

A cross section of a human population (501 individuals) selected at random, and living in a Bolivian community, highly endemic for Chagas disease, was investigated combining together clinical, parasitological and molecular approaches. Conventional serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) indicated an active transmission of the infection, a high seroprevalence (43.3%) ranging from around 12% in < 5 years to 94.7% in > 45 years, and a high sensitivity (83.8%) and specificity of PCR. Abnormal ECG tracing was predominant in chagasic patients and was already present among individuals younger than 13 years. SAPA (shed acute phase antigen) recombinant protein and the synthetic peptide R-13 were used as antigens in ELISA tests. The reactivity of SAPA was strongly associated to Trypanosoma cruzi infection and independent of the age of the patients but was not suitable neither for universal serodiagnosis nor for discrimination of specific phases of Chagas infection. Anti-R-13 response was observed in 27.5% only in chagasic patients. Moreover, anti-R13 reactivity was associated with early infection and not to cardiac pathology. This result questioned previous studies, which considered the anti-R-13 response as a marker of chronic Chagas heart disease. The major clonets 20 and 39 (belonging to Trypanosoma cruzi I and T. cruzi II respectively) which circulate in equal proportions in vectors of the studied area, were identified in patients' blood by PCR. Clonet 39 was selected over clonet 20 in the circulation whatever the age of the patient. The only factor related to strain detected in patients' blood, was the anti-R-13 reactivity: 37% of the patients infected by clonet 39 (94 cases) had anti-R13 antibodies contrasting with only 6% of the patients without clonet 39 (16 cases).

Large-scale trials of a trapping system designed to collect silvatic Triatominae are reported. Live-baited adhesive traps were tested in various ecosystems and different triatomine habitats (arboreal and terrestrial). The trials were always successful, with a rate of positive habitats generally over 20% and reaching 48.4% for palm trees of the Amazon basin. Eleven species of Triatominae belonging to the three genera of public health importance (Triatoma, Rhodnius and Panstrongylus) were captured. This trapping system provides an effective way to detect the presence of triatomines in terrestrial and arboreal silvatic habitats and represents a promising tool for ecological studies. Various lines of research are contemplated to improve the performance of this trapping system.

Nutritional status relating to flight activity was investigated in natural populations of Triatoma sordida and T. guasayana during the dry season in the Bolivian Chaco. The peak flight activity of both species was unimodal and covered the period 61-180 min after sunset. The weight of insects was used as the indicator of nutritional status. Interspecies comparisons employing the same sex and type of capture showed a higher weight for T. guasayana. No significant difference according to weight was observed between flying insects and those collected in natural ecotopes (hollow trees and bromeliads). More than 87% of insects collected from natural ecotopes displayed flight ability under the study conditions, explaining their tendency to invade artificial structures during the dry season.

A sylvatic Triatoma infestans DM (dark morph) population detected in the Bolivian Chaco was characterized and compared with various domestic ones. The degree of differentiation of DM was clearly within the T. infestans intra-specific level. Nevertheless marked chromatic and morphometric differences as well as differences in antennal pattern, chromosome banding and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA support the hypothesis of a distinct population. Continuous exchange of insects between wild and domestic habitats seems unlikely in the Chaco.

DNA sequence comparison of 412 base-pairs fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome B gene was used to infer the genetic structure of nine geographical Triatoma infestans populations and their phylogenetic relationship with T. melanosoma and T. brasiliensis. T. infestans and T. melanosoma were compared by morphometry, allozyme and cytogenetic analyses, as well as subjected to reciprocal crosses, in order to clarify the taxonomic status of the latter. No differences were found to distinguish the two species and the crosses between them yielded progeny. T. infestans populations presented four haplotypes that could be separated in two clusters: one formed by the samples from Bolivia (Andes and Chaco) and the other formed by samples from Argentina and Brazil. Silvatic and domestic T. infestans populations from Bolivia (Andes) were genetically identical.

Triatoma guasayana and two putative cryptic species pertaining to T. sordida complex (named groups 1 and 2) occur in sympatry in the Bolivian Chaco. Using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and subsequent genetic analysis, our work assesses their population distribution and dispersal capacity in domestic, peridomestic, and silvatic environments. Our collections by light trap in the silvatic environment indicated a predominance of T. guasayana and T. sordida group 2 and a lesser abundance of T. sordida group 1 (£ 10% of the total of captures). Their similar distribution in two silvatic areas 80 km apart supports the hypothesis of their homogeneous dispersal through the Bolivian Chaco. The distribution of T. guasayana and T. sordida groups 1 and 2 was similar between silvatic environment and peridomestic ecotopes where 25% of positive places was occupied by two or three species. Bromeliads were confirmed as favorable shelter for T. guasayana but were free of T. sordida. T. sordida group 1 and to a lesser extent T. guasayana would be more invasive vectors for houses than T. sordida group 2. The spatial partition in the three species sampled in two distant sites suggested a reduced dispersive capacity.

The genetic population of Triatoma sordida group 1, a secondary vector of Chagas disease in Bolivia, was studied by multi-locus enzyme electrophoresis. A total of 253 nymphal and adult specimens collected from seven neighbouring localities in the Velasco Province, Department of Santa Cruz, were processed. The relatively low genetic variability was confirmed for this species (rate of polymorphism: 0.20). The absence of genetic disequilibrium detected within the seven localities was demonstrated. A geographical structuration appears between localities with distances greater than 20 km apart. Although T. sordida presents a relatively reduced dispersive capacity, its panmictic unit is wider than compared with T. infestans. Genetic distances between T. sordida populations were correlated with geographic distance. Gene flow between geographic populations of T. sordida provides an efficient framework for effective vigilance and control protocols.