First Report of Widespread Wild Populations of Triatoma infestans (Reduviidae, Triatominae) in the Valleys of La Paz, Bolivia |
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| Authors: | Rosio Buitrago Etienne Waleckx Marie-France Bosseno Faustine Zoveda Pablo Vidaurre Renata Salas Elio Mamani Fran?ois Noireau Simone Frédérique Brenière |
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| Institution: | Département Société et Santé, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Montpellier, France; Ministerio de Salud y Deporte, Servicio Departamental de Salud La Paz (SEDES), Department of La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia; Instituto Nacional de Laboratorios de Salud (INLASA), Department of La Paz, La Paz, Bolivia |
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| Abstract: | Wild populations of Triatoma infestans, the main vector of Chagas disease in the Southern Cone countries, may be involved in reinfestation of human dwellings, limiting the success of vector-control campaigns in Bolivia. Knowledge of the distribution of these populations remains incomplete. We report here the detection of T. infestans wild populations in large areas in the department of La Paz, Bolivia. Among 18 sylvatic areas investigated, 17 were positive with T. infestans specimens. The infection rate of captured T. infestans with Trypanosoma cruzi was 85.7% in adult specimens. These results expand the geographical distribution of wild populations of T. infestans; it may be distributed throughout the Inter-Andean Dry Forest eco-region of Bolivia. The current information allows us to propose the hypothesis that a sylvatic origin of the reinfestation is located in the valleys of La Paz. |
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