title: Wing Polymorphism and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Wild, Peridomestic, and Domestic Collections of Mepraia spinolai (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) From Chile.
abstract: Mepraia spinolai (Porter) is a vector of Trypanosoma cruzi that causes Chagas disease. Females are always wingless, but males may be winged or wingless. We determined by PCR the infection percentage with T. cruzi of M. spinolai adults and nymphs in domestic, peridomestic, and wild collections, in different regions of Chile. In all regions, winged males were more abundant than females and wingless males. Winged males collected inside houses were less parasitized than were those from peridomestic and wild environments. Although winged males of M. spinolai have comparatively low levels of infection, this segment may still represent the greatest vector threat in this species for transmission of T. cruzi to humans and other vertebrates in domestic, wild, and peridomestic habitats. Winged males represent the dispersive form of this species that invades human dwellings. Feeding deprivation resulting from the time required to find a food source and to search for reproductive females could explain the lower infection rates (negatives) of winged males collected from inside houses in comparison with winged males collected from peridomestic and wild habitats.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Entomología, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Av, José Pedro Alessandri 774, Santiago, Chile 7760197.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frías-Lasserre
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Entomología, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Av, José Pedro Alessandri 774, Santiago, Chile 7760197.|Laboratorio Entomología, Sección Parasitología, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile.
authors.forename: Christian R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: González
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Entomología, Sección Parasitología, Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile.
authors.forename: Carolina Reyes
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biologicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rodovia Araraquara- Jaú km 1, 14 801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Danila Blanco
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biologicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rodovia Araraquara- Jaú km 1, 14 801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jader
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Programa de Salud Ambiental, Escuela de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile; Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile. Independencia 939, Santiago, Zip code 8380453.|Departamento de Medicina, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile.
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canals
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biologicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rodovia Araraquara- Jaú km 1, 14 801-902, Araraquara, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Joao Aristeu
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: da Rosa
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002677:Chile; D005260:Female; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009758:Nymph / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D014225:Triatominae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology*; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Chagas disease; Mepraia spinolai; human dwelling; wing polymorphism