Deterrence of feeding in Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) after treatment of antennae with a nitric oxide donor

Abstract

Abstract. The blood-sucking bug Rhodnius prolixus is the main vector of Chagas Disease in Colombia, Venezuela and several countries in Central America. Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous gaseous molecule present in most types of cell and participates in the olfactory pathway of insects. In this work, nitroso-acetyl-cysteine (SNAC), a nitric oxide donor, was topically applied to the antennae of fifth instar nymphs of R. prolixus. After SNAC treatment, these insects showed a dose-dependent reluctance to feed when provided with a living pigeon as the food source (ED50 = 5.2 µg/insect). However, there was no reluctance to feed when dbcGMP was applied to the antennae of nymphs. In another experiment, insects that had their antennae treated with SNAC were less attracted than the control group to a CO2 source. A possible role of NO in the olfactory pathway of R. prolixus is discussed.

Nitric oxide contributes to high-salt perception in a blood-sucking insect model

“…1 ), and their respective controls. The efficiency of all these drugs was probed in different arthropods 24 , 25 , 36 , 53 – 57 . Treatments were administrated by ingestion (see below).…”

“…Particularly, NO participates in several sensory processes including gustation, thus, it can be found in taste receptor cells of mammals 20 , 21 and of insects 22 , 23 . In R. prolixus , NO was shown to be involved in chemosensory processes 24 , 25 . Topical application of a NO donor (S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine, SNAC) over kissing bugs’ antennae significantly decreased the feeding response over a living host 24 .…”

“…In R. prolixus , NO was shown to be involved in chemosensory processes 24 , 25 . Topical application of a NO donor (S-nitroso-N-acetylcysteine, SNAC) over kissing bugs’ antennae significantly decreased the feeding response over a living host 24 .…”

Repellence Produced by Monoterpenes on Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Decreases After Continuous Exposure to These Compounds

“…There are very few studies on the effect of NO on the behavior elicited by a sensory stimulus. In hematophagous insects, this phenomenon was studied in the bloodsucking bug R hodnius prolixus (Ståhl) ( Sfara et al. 2011 ) and the mosquito Aedes aegypti L. ( Stanczyk et al.…”

“…The treatment of R. prolixus antennae with an NO donor reduced the behavioral response to the insect repellent diethyltoluamide (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide [DEET]) ( Sfara et al. 2008 ) and carbon dioxide ( Sfara et al. 2011 ).…”