Evidence of Likely Autochthonous Transmission of Chagas Disease in Arizona

Beatty, Norman; Pérez-Vélez, Carlos M.; Yaglom, Hayley; Carson, Sharon; Liu, Eugene; Khalpey, Zain; Klotz, Stephen A.; Elliott, Sean P.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.18-0485

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Some reports speculate on potential sources of triatomine contact, including hiking, camping, hunting and peri-domestic woodpiles and brush (52,289,290,292). In other cases, infected individuals had exposure in multiple states with known sylvatic cycles and no hypotheses could be formed as to which was the most likely site of acquisition (287,289).…”

Section: Diagnostic Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In retrospect, one of the Texas infections, reported to be in a 2-to 3-week old infant with no other details provided, may actually have been congenital (286). In California, a contemporaneous survey demonstrated positive complement fixation results in 6 (2.5%) of 241 residents of the community of the 1982 case tested compared to one (0.2%) of 637 persons surveyed in a major urban area (55).Since 2007, blood bank screening has resulted in the publication of an additional 35 putative autochthonous T. cruzi infections(52,(287)(288)(289)(290)(291)(292). All were in the chronic phase and detected on serological screening by blood centers.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Chagas Disease in the United States: a Public Health Approach

et al. 2019

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SUMMARY Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease, usually transmitted by triatomine vectors. An estimated 20 to 30% of infected individuals develop potentially lethal cardiac or gastrointestinal disease. Sylvatic transmission cycles exist in the southern United States, involving 11 triatomine vector species and infected mammals such as rodents, opossums, and dogs. Nevertheless, imported chronic T. cruzi infections in migrants from Latin America vastly outnumber locally acquired human cases. Benznidazole is now FDA approved, and clinical and public health efforts are under way by researchers and health departments in a number of states. Making progress will require efforts to improve awareness among providers and patients, data on diagnostic test performance and expanded availability of confirmatory testing, and evidence-based strategies to improve access to appropriate management of Chagas disease in the United States.

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Section: Diagnostic Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Chagas Disease in the United States: a Public Health Approach

et al. 2019

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“…There are 11 endemic North American species, whose epidemiological relevance has been overlooked compared to their neotropical relatives. However, multiple recent studies have recorded high prevalence of T. cruzi in kissing bugs and reservoir mammals, like packrats, racoons, and opossums [3][4][5], and others have confirmed cases of autochthonous human CD in the USA [6][7][8][9][10]. Thus, T. cruzi transmission by native US vectors has become a current health concern, emphasising the need for in-depth understanding of triatomine vector biology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogeny, species identity, and environment dominate microbiome dynamics in wild populations of kissing bugs (Triatominae)

et al. 2020

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Background Kissing bugs (Triatominae) are blood-feeding insects best known as the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas’ disease. Considering the high epidemiological relevance of these vectors, their biology and bacterial symbiosis remains surprisingly understudied. While previous investigations revealed generally low individual complexity but high among-individual variability of the triatomine microbiomes, any consistent microbiome determinants have not yet been identified across multiple Triatominae species. Methods To obtain a more comprehensive view of triatomine microbiomes, we investigated the host-microbiome relationship of five Triatoma species sampled from white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) nests in multiple locations across the USA. We applied optimised 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding with a novel 18S rRNA gene blocking primer to a set of 170 T. cruzi-negative individuals across all six instars. Results Triatomine gut microbiome composition is strongly influenced by three principal factors: ontogeny, species identity, and the environment. The microbiomes are characterised by significant loss in bacterial diversity throughout ontogenetic development. First instars possess the highest bacterial diversity while adult microbiomes are routinely dominated by a single taxon. Primarily, the bacterial genus Dietzia dominates late-stage nymphs and adults of T. rubida, T. protracta, and T. lecticularia but is not present in the phylogenetically more distant T. gerstaeckeri and T. sanguisuga. Species-specific microbiome composition, particularly pronounced in early instars, is further modulated by locality-specific effects. In addition, pathogenic bacteria of the genus Bartonella, acquired from the vertebrate hosts, are an abundant component of Triatoma microbiomes. Conclusion Our study is the first to demonstrate deterministic patterns in microbiome composition among all life stages and multiple Triatoma species. We hypothesise that triatomine microbiome assemblages are produced by species- and life stage-dependent uptake of environmental bacteria and multiple indirect transmission strategies that promote bacterial transfer between individuals. Altogether, our study highlights the complexity of Triatominae symbiosis with bacteria and warrant further investigation to understand microbiome function in these important vectors.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogeny, species identity and environment dominate microbiome dynamics in wild populations of kissing bugs (Triatominae)

Brown

Rodríguez‐Ruano

Poosakkannu

et al. 2020

Preprint

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BackgroundKissing bugs (Triatominae) are blood-feeding insects best known as the vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease. Considering the high epidemiological relevance of these vectors, their biology and bacterial symbiosis remains surprisingly understudied. While previous investigations revealed generally low individual complexity but high among-individual variability of the triatomine microbiomes, any consistent microbiome determinants have not yet been identified across multiple Triatominae species. Methods To obtain a more comprehensive view of triatomine microbiomes, we investigated the host-microbiome relationship of five Triatoma species sampled from white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) nests in multiple locations across the USA. We applied optimized 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding with a novel 18S rRNA gene blocking primer to a set of 170 T. cruzi negative individuals across all six instars. Results Triatomine gut microbiome composition is strongly influenced by three principal factors: ontogeny, species identity, and the environment. The microbiomes are characterised by significant loss in bacterial diversity throughout ontogenetic development. First instars possess the highest bacterial diversity while adult microbiomes are routinely dominated by a single taxon. Primarily, the bacterial genus Dietzia dominates late-stage nymphs and adults of T. rubida, T. protracta, and T. lecticularia, but is not present in the phylogenetically more distant T. gerstaeckeri and T. sanguisuga. Species-specific microbiome composition, particularly pronounced in early instars, is further modulated by locality-specific effects. In addition, pathogenic bacteria of the genus Bartonella, acquired from the vertebrate hosts, are an abundant component of Triatoma microbiomes. ConclusionOur study is the first to demonstrate deterministic patterns in microbiome composition among all life stages and multiple Triatoma species. We hypothesize that triatomine microbiome assemblages are produced by species-and life stage-dependent uptake of environmental bacteria and multiple indirect transmission strategies that promote bacterial transfer between individuals. Altogether, our study highlights the complexity of Triatominae symbiosis with bacteria and warrant further investigation to understand microbiome function in these important vectors.

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Evidence of Likely Autochthonous Transmission of Chagas Disease in Arizona

Cited by 19 publications

References 14 publications

Chagas Disease in the United States: a Public Health Approach

Chagas Disease in the United States: a Public Health Approach

Ontogeny, species identity, and environment dominate microbiome dynamics in wild populations of kissing bugs (Triatominae)

Ontogeny, species identity and environment dominate microbiome dynamics in wild populations of kissing bugs (Triatominae)

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