title: Everybody loves sugar: first report of plant feeding in triatomines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Triatomines, which are the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, have been considered to be exclusive blood feeders for more than 100 years, since the discovery of Chagas disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We offered artificial sugar meals to the laboratory model-insect Rhodnius prolixus, which is considered a strict haematophagous insect. We registered feeding by adding colorant to sugar meals. To assess putative phytophagy, fruits of the tomato Solanum lycopersicum were offered to R. prolixus and the presence of tomato DNA was assessed in the insects using PCR. We also assessed longevity, blood feeding and urine production of fruit-exposed triatomines and control insects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All instars of R. prolixus ingested sugar from artificial sugar meals in laboratory conditions. First instar R. prolixus ingested plant tissue from S. lycopersicum fruits, and this increased the amount of blood ingested and urine excreted. Decreased mortality was also observed after blood feeding. Exposure to S. lycopersicum increased longevity and reduced weight loss caused by desiccation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe here the first report of sugar feeding and phytophagy in a species that was considered to be a strict blood-feeder for over a century. We suggest that local plants might be not merely shelters for insects and vertebrate hosts as previously described, but may have a nutritional role for the maintenance of the triatomine vectors. The description of sugar and plant meals in triatomines opens new perspectives for the study and control of Chagas Disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. hectormdma@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Hector Manuel
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Díaz-Albiter
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. tainanf2008@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Tainá Neves
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. samara_gc279@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Samara Graciane
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. gbsrivas@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gustavo Bueno
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. mar_gumiel@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gumiel
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil. daniloestudos@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Danilo Rufino
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. marciopavan@gmail.com.|Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Sistemática Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. marciopavan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Márcio Galvão
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pavan
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil. msgonzalez@id.uff.br.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. msgonzalez@id.uff.br.
authors.forename: Marcelo Salabert
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Brazil. cicerobrasileiro@globo.com.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. cicerobrasileiro@globo.com.
authors.forename: Cícero Brasileiro
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.affiliation: Institute of Integrative Biology, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK. V.M.Dillon@liverpool.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Viv Maureen
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. rafaelabruno@gmail.com.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. rafaelabruno@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rafaela Vieira
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. garciaeloi@gmail.com.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. garciaeloi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eloi de Souza
authors.initials: Ede S
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecoepidemiologia da Doença de Chagas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. mmlima@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Marli Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. didan.castro@gmail.com.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. didan.castro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniele Pereira
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: de Castro
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK. r.dillon@lancaster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rod James
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. azambuja@ioc.fiocruz.br.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. azambuja@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Azambuja
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica e Fisiologia de Insetos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. genta@ioc.fiocruz.br.|Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. genta@ioc.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Fernando Ariel
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Genta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002241:Carbohydrates; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000032:analysis; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007303:Insect Vectors; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000502:physiology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D004396:Coloring Agents; D018744:DNA, Plant