Antiparasitic, Insecticidal, and Larvicidal Activities of Seaweeds and their Extracts
Leonel Pereira in Therapeutic and Nutritional Uses of Algae, 2018
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a zoonotic infectious disease affecting humans in Latin America. The disease is caused by the protozoan flagellate Trypanosoma cruzi that lives and multiplies within cells from a variety of tissues. The parasite is usually transmitted via the feces of blood-sucking bugs belonging to the subfamily Triatominae (kissing bugs or conenose bugs), with Triatoma infestans, Rhodnius proxilus, and Panstrongylus megistus being the most important vectors. As T. cruzi cannot penetrate intact skin, it enters the human body through microlesions that have been introduced and contaminated with feces when individuals scratch the itching vector’s bite. In addition, T. cruzi is able to break through intact mucous membranes (such as the conjunctiva and the gastric epithelium). Other modes of transmission include blood transfusion, organ transplantation, via breast milk, congenitally via the placenta and by ingestion of contaminated food and drink. Chagas disease is endemic in all South and Central American countries, as well as in Mexico (WHO 2014). In addition, the southern half of the United States contains enzootic cycles of T. cruzi and autochthonous vector-borne human infections have been reported in Texas, California, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi (Bern et al. 2011, Cantey et al. 2012).
Trypanosoma cruzi
Dongyou Liu in Handbook of Foodborne Diseases, 2018
Metacyclic trypomastigotes of the parasite present in the feces penetrate the wound caused by the sting of the triatomine insect, or lesions on the skin or mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, or nose. The insects responsible for the vectorial transmission belong to the subfamily Triatominae, within which approximately 140 species of five tribes have been identified, with 125 exclusively found in Latin America. The natural habitat of triatomines includes palm trees, hollows in trees, cracks in rocks, small caves, and other animal shelters where they can find food [17,18]. Among the main vectors are Triatoma infestans, Triatoma brasiliensis, and Panstrogylus megistus in the southern cone countries; Rhodnius prolixus and Triatoma dimidiata in the Andean region and parts of Central America, and T. dimidiata and Triatoma barberi in Mexico [16].
Use of Essential Oils in Agriculture
K. Hüsnü Can Başer, Gerhard Buchbauer in Handbook of Essential Oils, 2020
Muña are Bolivian medical plants and include species of Satureja, Minthostachys, Mentha, and Hedomea. They derive their name muña by the Kechuas people, who live in the Andean mountains where these plants grow at an altitude between 2500 and 5000 meters. These indigenous people of the Andes use these plants among others because of their insecticide and repellent activity in order to protect the crops of potatoes against insects and also to prevent Chagas disease of which an insect acts as the pathogenous vector. Plants used in the study against Triatoma infestans, which was conducted by Fournet et al. (1996), were Minthostachys andina (Britton) Eppling (Lamiaceae) and Hedomea mandonianum Wedd. (Lamiaceae). The EO of M. andina could significantly decrease the number of insects: after 28 days, 10 out of 20 insects were found dead. H. mandonianum had no such effect (Fournet et al., 1996).
The senseless orphanage of Chagas disease
Published in Expert Opinion on Orphan Drugs, 2019
Cristina Alonso-Vega, Irene Losada-Galván, María-Jesus Pinazo, Javier Sancho Mas, Joaquim Gascón Brustenga, Julio Alonso-Padilla
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a systemic parasitic disease caused by the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). The infection is transmitted in the feces of infected hematophagous vectors such as Triatoma infestans, that, upon a bloodmeal, defecate near the bite site or near mucosal tissue [1]. Parasites in the feces will then gain access to the bloodstream through micro-injuries caused by scratching the bite site or through the mucosa [2]. Oral transmission due to the ingestion of parasite-contaminated food or drink has been documented as well [3,4]. Vector-independent transmission routes such as blood transfusion, organ transplant, and congenital have been described too [1]. Another possible route of infection can occur in case of a biohazard incident in the laboratory upon manipulating parasite containing samples [5].
Circadian system responses to nocturnal and diurnal hosts in the kissing bug, Triatoma infestans
Published in Chronobiology International, 2018
Pablo Martin Lopez, Luciana Beatriz Abrahan, Martin Roland Ralph, Verónica Sandra Valentinuzzi
The kissing bug, Triatoma infestans, is a major insect vector of the parasite responsible for Chagas disease. Transmission of the disease often is associated with feeding events when this hematophagous insect is taking a blood meal. These insects are known to feed on diverse hosts with widely different temporal activity allocations. This includes various sylvatic vertebrate species such as bats (Thomas et al. 2007), wild guinea pigs, and mice (Bermudez et al. 1993). Moreover, Triatominae species found in human dwellings feed mainly on domestic and farm animals as well as on humans (Gürtler et al. 1997, 2009). In the laboratory, nocturnal insects also adapt well to scheduled artificial chicken feeding during daytime (Amelotti et al. 2010; Szumlewicz 1976).
Identification of bloodmeal sources of triatomines captured in the Paraguayan Chaco region of South America by means of molecular biology analysis
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2020
Stefanía Fraenkel, Oscar Daniel Salvioni, Antonieta Rojas de Arias, Verónica Paola Arze, Miriam Rolón, Natalia Ramirez, Celeste Vega Gómez
According to conservative estimates, there are between 7 and 8 million people diagnosed with Chagas disease, most of those are in South America. Of this total number of diagnosed cases, approximately 150,000 cases occur in Paraguay. In Paraguay Triatoma infestans constitutes the most common vector [2,3]. Individuals afflicted with the disease usually come from a challenging socioeconomic context in which access to proper health care is restricted. Moreover, factors such as precarious housing, presence of adjacent chicken coops, stables or other animal housing facilities all promote triatomine proliferation. Taken together, all these factors conspire in favor of the disease’s prevalence in impoverished communities [4].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Chagas Disease
- Trypanosoma Cruzi
- Triatominae
- Disease Vector
- Panstrongylus Megistus
- Triatoma Sordida
- Triatoma Brasiliensis
- Triatoma Protracta