Revisiting Trypanosoma rangeli Transmission Involving Susceptible and Non-Susceptible Hosts

Trypanosoma rangeli infects several triatomine and mammal species in South America. Its transmission is known to occur when a healthy insect feeds on an infected mammal or when an infected insect bites a healthy mammal. In the present study we evaluated the classic way of T. rangeli transmission sta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2015-10, Vol.10 (10), p.e0140575-e0140575
Main Authors: Ferreira, Luciana de Lima, Pereira, Marcos Horácio, Guarneri, Alessandra Aparecida
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arachnids
Birds
Bites
Blood
Conspecifics
Feeding
Hemiptera
Host-Parasite Interactions
Infections
Insect bites
Insects
Life assessment
Male
Mammals
Meals
Mice
Nymph - physiology
Parasites
Pigeons
Protozoa
Reduviidae
Rhodnius
Rhodnius - growth & development
Rhodnius - parasitology
Rhodnius prolixus
Salivary gland
Salivary glands
Salivary Glands - parasitology
Triatoma
Trypanosoma cruzi
Trypanosoma rangeli
Trypanosoma rangeli - physiology
Trypanosomiasis - diagnosis
Trypanosomiasis - transmission
Trypanosomiasis - veterinary
Trypomastigotes
West Nile virus
Xenodiagnosis
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Summary:Trypanosoma rangeli infects several triatomine and mammal species in South America. Its transmission is known to occur when a healthy insect feeds on an infected mammal or when an infected insect bites a healthy mammal. In the present study we evaluated the classic way of T. rangeli transmission started by the bite of a single infected triatomine, as well as alternative ways of circulation of this parasite among invertebrate hosts. The number of metacyclic trypomastigotes eliminated from salivary glands during a blood meal was quantified for unfed and recently fed nymphs. The quantification showed that ~50,000 parasites can be liberated during a single blood meal. The transmission of T. rangeli from mice to R. prolixus was evaluated using infections started through the bite of a single infected nymph. The mice that served as the blood source for single infected nymphs showed a high percentage of infection and efficiently transmitted the infection to new insects. Parasites were recovered by xenodiagnosis in insects fed on mice with infections that lasted approximately four months. Hemolymphagy and co-feeding were tested to evaluate insect-insect T. rangeli transmission. T. rangeli was not transmitted during hemolymphagy. However, insects that had co-fed on mice with infected conspecifics exhibited infection rates of approximately 80%. Surprisingly, 16% of the recipient nymphs became infected when pigeons were used as hosts. Our results show that T. rangeli is efficiently transmitted between the evaluated hosts. Not only are the insect-mouse-insect transmission rates high, but parasites can also be transmitted between insects while co-feeding on a living host. We show for the first time that birds can be part of the T. rangeli transmission cycle as we proved that insect-insect transmission is feasible during a co-feeding on these hosts.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0140575