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Domestic host availability modifies human‐triatomine contact and host shifts of the Chagas disease vector Triatoma infestans in the humid Argentine Chaco
Author(s) -
OrdóñezKrasnowski P. C.,
Lanati L. A.,
Gaspe M. S.,
Cardinal M. V.,
Ceballos L. A.,
Gürtler R. E.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12463
Subject(s) - triatoma infestans , reduviidae , biology , heteroptera , triatoma , infestation , host (biology) , triatominae , vector (molecular biology) , zoology , veterinary medicine , chagas disease , ecology , parasite hosting , trypanosoma cruzi , immunology , botany , medicine , biochemistry , world wide web , computer science , gene , recombinant dna
Domestic animals may affect human‐vector contact and parasite transmission rates. We investigated the relationships between host‐feeding choices, site‐specific host availability, bug nutritional status, stage and abundance of Triatoma infestans Klug (Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in rural houses of Pampa del Indio during spring. We identified the bloodmeal sources of 865 triatomines collected in 70 sites from four main ecotopes. The main sources in domiciles were human (65.9%), chicken (23.4%) and dog (22.4%); dog (64.4%, 35.3%) and chicken (33.1%, 75.4%) in kitchens and storerooms, respectively; and chicken (94.7%) in chicken coops. Using random‐intercept logistic regression clustered by domicile, the fraction of human‐fed triatomines strongly decreased with increasing proportions of chicken‐ and dog‐fed bugs, dropping from 96.4% when no chicken or dog slept indoors at night to 59.4% when both did. The fraction of dog‐fed bugs significantly decreased with increasing human and chicken blood indices, and marginally increased with an indoor‐resting dog. Mixed blood meals occurred 3.62 times more often when a chicken or a dog slept indoors. Host blood source did not affect mean body weight adjusted for body length and bug stage. Indoor‐resting chickens and dogs greatly modified human‐bug contact rates, and may be targeted with long‐lasting systemic insecticides to suppress infestation.