title: Experimental Infection of Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera, Triatominae) with Mycobacterium leprae Indicates Potential for Leprosy Transmission.
abstract: Leprosy is a chronic dermato-neurological disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae. In 2013 almost 200,000 new cases of leprosy were detected around the world. Since the first symptoms take from years to decades to appear, the total number of asymptomatic patients is impossible to predict. Although leprosy is one of the oldest records of human disease, the mechanisms involved with its transmission and epidemiology are still not completely understood. In the present work, we experimentally investigated the hypothesis that the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus and the hemiptera Rhodnius prolixus act as leprosy vectors. By means of real-time PCR quantification of M. leprae 16SrRNA, we found that M. leprae remained viable inside the digestive tract of Rhodnius prolixus for 20 days after oral infection. In contrast, in the gut of both mosquito species tested, we were not able to detect M. leprae RNA after a similar period of time. Inside the kissing bug Rhodnius prolixus digestive tract, M. leprae was initially restricted to the anterior midgut, but gradually moved towards the hindgut, in a time course reminiscent of the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, a well-known pathogen transmitted by this insect. The maintenance of M. leprae infectivity inside the digestive tract of this kissing bug is further supported by successful mice footpad inoculation with feces collected 20 days after infection. We conclude that Rhodnius prolixus defecate infective M. leprae, justifying the evaluation of the presence of M. leprae among sylvatic and domestic kissing bugs in countries endemic for leprosy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Celular, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Arthur da Silva
authors.initials: Ada S
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
authors.forename: Felipe de Almeida
authors.initials: Fde A
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Celular, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jéssica da Silva
authors.initials: Jda S
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Aplicada a Micobactérias, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda Nogueira Brum
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.affiliation: Lauro de Sousa Lima Institute, Department of Biology, Bauru, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patricia Sammarco
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Celular, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Enrique
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Henrique
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Aplicada a Micobactérias, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raquel Lima de Figueiredo
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Celular, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Cristina Vidal
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pessolani
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Hanseníase, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Milton Ozório
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Moraes
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biologia Molecular Aplicada a Micobactérias, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Philip Noel
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Suffys
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Bioquímica de Artrópodes Hematófagos, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Henrique Ferreira
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Sorgine
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Microbiologia Celular, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flavio Alves
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Lara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S