0000000000761672

AUTHOR

Fernando Abad-franch

Chagas Disease Vector Control in a Hyperendemic Setting: The First 11 Years of Intervention in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Background Chagas disease has historically been hyperendemic in the Bolivian Department of Cochabamba. In the early 2000s, an extensive vector control program was implemented; 1.34 million dwelling inspections were conducted to ascertain infestation (2000–2001/2003–2011), with blanket insecticide spraying in 2003–2005 and subsequent survey-spraying cycles targeting residual infestation foci. Here, we assess the effects of this program on dwelling infestation rates (DIRs). Methodology/Principal Findings Program records were used to calculate annual, municipality-level aggregate DIRs (39 municipalities); very high values in 2000–2001 (median: 0.77–0.69) dropped to ∼0.03 from 2004 on. A linear…

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Nuclear rDNA ITS-2 sequences reveal polyphyly of Panstrongylus species (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi1

Panstrongylus species are widely distributed throughout the Americas, where they act as vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, agent of Chagas disease. Their intraspecific relationships, taxonomic position and phylogeny in relation to other Triatomini were explored using ribosomal DNA (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) sequence polymorphisms and maximum parsimony, distance and maximum likelihood analyses of 10 populations representing six species of the genus (P. megistus, P. geniculatus, P. rufotuberculatus, P. lignarius, P. herreri and P. chinai). At the subspecific level, P. megistus appeared more homogeneous than P. rufotuberculatus and P. geniculatus (both with broader distribution). …

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The ITS-2 of the nuclear rDNA as a molecular marker for populations, species, and phylogenetic relationships in Triatominae (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), vectors of Chagas disease.

The nucleotide sequences of the rDNA second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of 31 populations of 12 and 3 species of the two main Triatominae tribes Triatomini and Rhodniini, including the most important Chagas disease vectors, were obtained. Sequence comparisons and parsimony, distance, and maximum-likelihood analyses indicate that ITS-2 is a useful marker for resolving supraspecific, specific, subspecific, and even sometimes population-level relationships in Triatominae. Results were markedly different between species of Triatomini and Rhodniini, suggesting polyphyly. Phylogenetic trees support an old divergence between South American and North-Central American Triatomini and query th…

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Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

AbstractBackgroundTriatomine bugs, the vectors of Chagas disease, associate with vertebrate hosts in highly diverse ecotopes. When these blood-sucking bugs adapt to new microhabitats, their phenotypes may change. Although understanding phenotypic variation is key to the study of adaptive evolution and central to phenotype-based taxonomy, the drivers of phenotypic change and diversity in triatomines remain poorly understood.Methods/FindingsWe combined a detailed phenotypic appraisal (including morphology and morphometrics) with mitochondrialcytband nuclear ITS2 DNA-sequence analyses to studyRhodnius ecuadoriensispopulations from across the species’ range. We found three major, naked-eye phen…

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Additional file 3 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 3: Text S1. Detailed descriptions of the diverse Rhodnius ecuadoriensis phenotypes.

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Correction to: Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

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Phylogeography and genetic variation of Triatoma dimidiata, the main Chagas disease vector in Central America, and its position within the genus Triatoma.

Background Among Chagas disease triatomine vectors, the largest genus, Triatoma, includes species of high public health interest. Triatoma dimidiata, the main vector throughout Central America and up to Ecuador, presents extensive phenotypic, genotypic, and behavioral diversity in sylvatic, peridomestic and domestic habitats, and non-domiciliated populations acting as reinfestation sources. DNA sequence analyses, phylogenetic reconstruction methods, and genetic variation approaches are combined to investigate the haplotype profiling, genetic polymorphism, phylogeography, and evolutionary trends of T. dimidiata and its closest relatives within Triatoma. This is the largest interpopulational …

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Additional file 4 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 4: Figure S1. Phenotype–microhabitat–phylogeny correspondences. Multispecies coalescent species tree (as in Fig. 9 of the main text), with pictures (approximately to the same scale) of adult Rhodnius ecuadoriensis and its closest relatives—R. colombiensis, R. pallescens and R. pictipes. The distribution of phenotypes along the phylogeny suggests that the common ancestor of the diverse R. ecuadoriensis forms was most likely a relatively large, straw-like-colored bug. Similarly, the distribution of primary microhabitats suggests that a shift of southern-Andean populations from palm crowns (green stars) to vertebrate nests (orange circles) resulted in convergence towards the sm…

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Additional file 7 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 7: Alignment S3. Nuclear ITS2 haplotypes in Rhodnius ecuadoriensis from Ecuador and Peru, plus outgroup species (R. colombiensis, R. pallescens and R. pictipes).

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Additional file 1 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 1: Table S1. Populations, specimen details and haplotype codes of 106 Rhodnius ecuadoriensis bugs used in morphometric and/or molecular analyses. A summary table with the numbers of bugs used in each analysis is also provided.

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Additional file 6 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 6: Alignment S2. Fourteen nuclear ITS2 haplotypes found in Rhodnius ecuadoriensis from Ecuador and Peru.

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Additional file 2 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 2: Alignment S1. Mitochondrial cytochrome b haplotypes in Rhodnius ecuadoriensis from Ecuador and Peru, plus outgroup species (R. colombiensis, R. pallescens, R. pictipes).

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Additional file 5 of Under pressure: phenotypic divergence and convergence associated with microhabitat adaptations in Triatominae

Additional file 5: Figure S2. Centroid-size comparisons. Population boxplots and Tukey-Kramer (T-K) tests for head and forewing centroid sizes derived from geometric morphometrics.

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