title: Active dispersal by wild Triatoma infestans in the Bolivian Andes.
abstract: Triatoma infestans is the main vector of Chagas disease and target of control programmes in the Southern Cone countries. So far Bolivia is the only country where true T. infestans wild foci are documented. The dispersal ability for wild T. infestans was studied at microgeographical scale in Bolivian Andes, to assess the possibility for wild populations to actively recolonize insecticide-treated villages. Nine microsatellite loci were used to detect the extent of gene flow between neighbouring collecting sites. The detection of restricted gene flow between close but distinct sylvatic sites supports the hypothesis that wild T. infestans does not disperse by flying at high altitude (2,750 m asl). It gradually disperses over small distances by walking within a 'patch' of continuous land cover. The genetic differentiation detected between sylvatic and domestic populations suggests a limited short-term role of wild insects in the process of recolonization of insecticide-treated houses in the Andes.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche 016, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Wilfrid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Richer
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kengne
authors.forename: Mirko Rojas
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cortez
authors.forename: Marie Mathilde
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Perrineau
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohuet
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fontenille
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Noireau
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D011158:Population Growth; D012423:Rural Health; D014197:Trees; D014224:Triatoma / Q000235:genetics*