title: Detection of triatomine infection by Triatoma virus and horizontal transmission: protecting insectaries and prospects for biological control.
abstract: Triatoma virus (TrV) is the only triatomine entomopathogenic virus identified so far. Propagation of TrV in insectaries depends on handling procedures and triatomine population dynamics. The effects of propagation can be devastating and entire colonies must often be sacrificed to prevent spread of the virus throughout the insectary. This study found that after 41.3 days from TrV ingestion of human blood with 0.04 mg of viral protein by 5th instar Triatomainfestans, viral particles could be detected by RT-PCR; in a second horizontal transmission experiment time to detection resulted in a mean of 42.5 days. These results should rise awareness of TrV dynamics in nature, help estimate the spread of this virus when TrV-infected field-collected insects are incorporated into an insectary, and provide a base for the consideration of TrV as an agent of biological control of some species of triatomines.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE-CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Boulevard 120 e/61 y 62, 1900 La Plata, Argentina; Researchers of CONICET (CCT-La Plata), 8#1467, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. Electronic address: gmarti@cepave.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Gerardo Aníbal
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Marti
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE-CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Boulevard 120 e/61 y 62, 1900 La Plata, Argentina; Fellow of CONICET (CCT-La Plata), 8#1467, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balsalobre
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE-CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Boulevard 120 e/61 y 62, 1900 La Plata, Argentina; Fellow of CONICET (CCT-La Plata), 8#1467, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Susevich
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE-CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Boulevard 120 e/61 y 62, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Jorge Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rabinovich
authors.affiliation: Researchers of CONICET (CCT-La Plata), 8#1467, 1900 La Plata, Argentina; Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias (UNLP), 60 y 118, 1900 La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Gabriela
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Echeverría
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010849:Picornaviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D014224:Triatoma / Q000821:virology*
keywords: Insectary; Triatoma infestans; Triatoma virus