title: Trypanosoma cruzi-infected Panstrongylus geniculatus and Rhodnius robustus adults invade households in the Tropics of Cochabamba region of Bolivia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are hardly any data available on the relationships between the parasite and the vector or regarding potential reservoirs involved in the natural transmission cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi in the Tropics of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Local families from communities were responsible for the capture of triatomine specimens, following a strategic methodology based on entomological surveillance with community participation developed by the National Chagas Programme of the Ministry of Health of Bolivia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We describe the collection of adult Panstrongylus geniculatus and Rhodnius robustus naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi from houses and from the hospital of Villa Tunari municipality. The flagellates found in the digestive tract of P. geniculatus belong to genetic lineages or DTUs TcI and TcIII, whereas only lineage DTU TcI was found in R. robustus. The detection of these vectors infected with T. cruzi reveals the vulnerability of local communities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results presented here highlight the risk of Chagas disease transmission in a region previously thought not to be endemic, indicating that the Tropics of Cochabamba should be placed under permanent entomological and epidemiological surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia. mirkorcortez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rojas-Cortez
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona and Center for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maria-Jesus
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pinazo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IIBISMED), Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Lineth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.|ISGlobal, Barcelona and Center for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mery
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arteaga
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uriona
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Seyla
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gamboa
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mejía
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona and Center for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clinic - Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gascon
authors.affiliation: Fundación CEADES, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
authors.forename: Faustino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Torrico
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Epidemiologia e Sistemática Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001838:Bolivia; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000635:transmission; D005191:Family Characteristics; D007303:Insect Vectors; D010203:Panstrongylus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology*; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Bolivia; Panstrongylus geniculatus; Rhodnius robustus; Tropics of Cochabamba; Trypanosoma cruzi