title: Life Cycle, Feeding, and Defecation Patterns of Panstrongylus chinai (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) Under Laboratory Conditions.
abstract: Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi Panstrongylus chinai (Del Ponte) is highly domiciliated in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes and has been found naturally infected with T. cruzi The objective of this study was to describe the life cycle, feeding, and defecation patterns of P. chinai in the Loja province within southern Ecuador. To characterize its life cycle, a cohort of 70 individuals was followed from egg to adult. At each stage of development, prefeeding time, feeding time, weight of ingested meal, proportional weight increase, and the time to the first defecation were recorded. Panstrongylus chinai completed its development in 371.4 ± 22.3 d, (95% CI 355.4-387.4), which means that it is likely a univoltine species. Prefeeding time, feeding time, and weight of ingested meal increased as individuals developed through nymphal stages. Moreover, time to first defecation was shortest in the early nymphal stages, suggesting higher vector potential in the early developmental stages. Data obtained in this study represent an important advance in our knowledge of the biology of P. chinai, which should be considered as a secondary Chagas disease vector species in the Andean valleys of Loja (Ecuador) and in the north of Peru, and included in entomological surveillance programs.
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious and Chronic Disease Research, School of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador (kdmosquerad@gmail.com; agvillacis@puce.edu.ec; grijalva@ohio.edu).|Carrera de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida y la Agricultura, Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas - ESPE, Sangolquí, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Katherine D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Mosquera
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious and Chronic Disease Research, School of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador (kdmosquerad@gmail.com; agvillacis@puce.edu.ec; grijalva@ohio.edu).
authors.forename: Anita G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Villacís
authors.affiliation: Center for Infectious and Chronic Disease Research, School of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador (kdmosquerad@gmail.com; agvillacis@puce.edu.ec; grijalva@ohio.edu) grijalva@ohio.edu.|Tropical Disease Institute, Biomedical Sciences Department, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.
authors.forename: Mario J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Grijalva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003672:Defecation; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development; D010203:Panstrongylus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Chagas disease; Ecuador; Triatominae