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Exploration for Triatoma virus (TrV) infection in laboratory-reared triatomines of Latin America: a collaborative study

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Abstract

Triatoma virus (TrV) is a small, non-enveloped virus that has a +ssRNA genome and is currently classified under the Cripavirus genus of the Dicistroviridae family. TrV infects haematophagous triatomine insects (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), which are vectors of American trypanosomosis (Chagas disease). TrV can be transmitted through the horizontal faecal-oral route, and causes either deleterious sublethal effects or even the death of laboratory insect colonies. Various species of triatomines from different regions of Latin America are currently being reared in research laboratories, with little or no awareness of the presence of TrV; therefore, any biological conclusion drawn from experiments on insects infected with this virus is inherently affected by the side effects of its infection. In this study, we developed a mathematical model to estimate the sample size required for detecting a TrV infection. We applied this model to screen the infection in the faeces of triatomines belonging to insectaries from 13 Latin American countries, carrying out the identification of TrV by using RT-PCR. TrV was detected in samples coming from Argentina, which is where the virus was first isolated from Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) several years ago. Interestingly, several colonies from Brazil were also found infected with the virus. This positive result widens the TrV’s host range to a total of 14 triatomine species. Our findings suggest that many triatomine species distributed over a large region of South America may be naturally infected with TrV.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE-CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Calle 2 Nro. 584, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Gerardo A. Marti, María L. Susevich, Soledad Ceccarelli, Agustín Balsalobre & Jorge E. Rabinovich

  2. Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP-CONICET), Av. 60 y 117, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    María G. Echeverría & María L. Susevich

  3. Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC-UPV/EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain

    Diego M. A. Guérin

  4. Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia, Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain

    Diego M. A. Guérin

  5. Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou-FIOCRUZ, Laboratório de Triatomíneos e Epidemiología da Doença de Chagas, Avenida Augusto de Lima, 1715, Barro Preto, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP 30190-002, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Lileia Diotaiuti

  6. Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco (EHU), Barrio Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, Bizkaia, Spain

    Diego M. A. Guérin

Authors
  1. Gerardo A. Marti
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  2. María G. Echeverría
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  3. María L. Susevich
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  4. Soledad Ceccarelli
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  5. Agustín Balsalobre
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  6. Jorge E. Rabinovich
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  7. Lileia Diotaiuti
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  8. Diego M. A. Guérin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lileia Diotaiuti.

Additional information

This work was conceived during a plenary meeting of the RedTrV consortium (https://doi.org/www.redtrv.org) in Balmaseda, Spain, 19–21 September 2010. A full list of authors is available in Appendix 2.

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Marti, G.A., Echeverría, M.G., Susevich, M.L. et al. Exploration for Triatoma virus (TrV) infection in laboratory-reared triatomines of Latin America: a collaborative study. Int J Trop Insect Sci 33, 294–304 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758413000337

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758413000337

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