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Development and interactions ofTrypanosoma rangeli in and with the reduviid bugRhodnius prolixus

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Abstract

Two strains ofTrypanosoma rangeli and three strains ofRhodnius prolixus were used in various combinations to transmit the trypanosomes via the reduviid bug. A persisting infection in the midgut lumen posterior to the stomach resulted in all 2,500 bugs being third and fourth instars. Infectious, metacyclic forms developed exclusively in the salivary glands; forms excreted with bug feces were noninfectious to mice. The midgut epithelium was the main barrier to transmission of the parasite. In only 2%–5% of the infected bugs was it penetrated, and no correlation with any parameter tested could be found. The trypanosomes passed through the gut epithelium by an intracellular route; they were contained in a parasitophorous vacuole. The salivary glands ofR. prolixus were found to be infected whenever the hemolymph was infected, after a successful penetration of the gut epithelium, or after injection ofT. rangeli. On the other hand, hemolymph infections inTriatoma infestans were eliminated within a few days, and the salivary glands of this bug were never invaded. Pathogenic effects ofT. rangeli onR. prolixus could be seen in midgut epithelial cells by a loss of cytoplasm and in muscle and salivary gland cells by very high parasite densities. However, as the penetration rate of the gut is low,T. rangeli is not likely to prove to be efficient in natural control ofR. prolixus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Tropical Institute, CH-4002, Basel, Switzerland

    H. Hecker, M. Schwarzenbach & W. Rudin

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  1. H. Hecker
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  2. M. Schwarzenbach
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  3. W. Rudin
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This paper is part of the PhD thesis of M. Schwarzenbach (University of Basel)

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Hecker, H., Schwarzenbach, M. & Rudin, W. Development and interactions ofTrypanosoma rangeli in and with the reduviid bugRhodnius prolixus . Parasitol Res 76, 311–318 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00928185

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