Population differentiation of the Chagas disease vectorTriatoma maculata(Erichson, 1848) from Colombia and Venezuela

Abstract

The emerging vector of Chagas disease, Triatoma maculata (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), is one of the most widely distributed Triatoma species in northern South America. Despite its increasing relevance as a vector, no consistent picture of the magnitude of genetic and phenetic diversity has yet been developed. Here, several populations of T. maculata from eleven Colombia and Venezuela localities were analyzed based on the morphometry of wings and the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) gene sequences. Our results showed clear morphometric and genetic differences among Colombian and Venezuelan populations, indicating high intraspecific diversity. Inter-population divergence is suggested related to East Cordillera in Colombia. Analyses of other populations from Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil from distinct eco-geographic regions are still needed to understand its systematics and phylogeography as well as its actual role as a vector of Chagas disease. Journal of Vector Ecology 41 (1): 72-79. 2016.

Geographic abundance patterns explained by niche centrality hypothesis in two Chagas disease vectors in Latin America

“…In addition, the T. maculata distribution model corresponds with previous records, mainly in Colombia, Venezuela, and northern Brazil [65][66][67][68]. However, the prediction of environmentally suitable areas for the occurrence of this species in Panama, where it has not been previously reported [68].…”

“…The potential distribution increases the risk of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) transmission in regions where it is either absent or reported occasionally, such as Ecuador, eastern Peru, and Bolivia [64]. In addition, the T. maculata distribution model corresponds with previous records, mainly in Colombia, Venezuela, and northern Brazil [65][66][67][68]. However, the prediction of environmentally suitable areas for the occurrence of this species in Panama, where it has not been previously reported [68].…”

Genomic Diversification, Structural Plasticity, and Hybridization in Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis

“…The phylogenetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes revealed the presence of two different L. braziliensis populations in Colombia (clade 2 and clade 4) ( Figures 1B–E ). We considered that the presence of these clades within Colombia can be associated with (i): the geographical localization of each clade; clade 4 genomes are located outside of mountain ecosystems (east Andes), while the clade 2 genome (Lb7864) occurs in Colombian mountain ecosystems (central cordillera) ( Figure 1A ), indicating that the Andes might generate intra-species diversification, as has been proposed for different arthropods, such as bees ( Dick et al., 2004 ), butterflies ( De-Silva et al., 2016 ; Chazot et al., 2018 ), arachnids ( Salgado-Roa et al., 2018 ), Triatominae ( Gomez-Palacio and Triana, 2014 ; Monsalve et al., 2016 ), Lutzomyia species ( Gonzalez et al., 2014 ; Ferro et al., 2015 ) and plants, such as Phlegmariurus ( Testo et al., 2019 ). (ii): Constant human displacement due to violence, armed conflict, or the deployment of military troops from areas of high endemicity ( Ore et al., 2015 ).…”

Intraspecific Genomic Divergence and Minor Structural Variations in Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis

“…An additional observation about the genomic divergence found is associated with the geographical localization of the clades identified. While the genomes belonging to Clade-3 occupy Colombian mountain ecosystems (western cordillera), most of the genomes of the Clade-2 (specifically Chocó) and all genomes of Clade-1 are located outside of these mountainous regions, in dry and warm zones at lower altitudes ( Figure S1), which suggest not only that the western cordillera is acting as geographic barrier to avoid the dispersion of native vectors species from the eastern to western region, but also, could be separating two divergent genetic clades producing a strong inter-population structure, as has been proposed for different Triatominae [53,54] and Lutzomyia [49,55,56] species.…”

“…In addition, considering that some studies describe that the high transmission rate of L. panamensis appears to be mainly related to high population densities of animal reservoirs (Choloepus hoffmani) in areas of the old-growth forest [46,50]. We believe that the presence of the new clade (Clade-2) in the Colombian territory could be due to (i) the migration of these reservoirs from Panamá to Colombia as result of landscape alteration which triggers demographic changes that lead to occasional migrations out of the territory [46,51], (ii) occupational exposure to infectious sandfly bites when humans enter the forest [52,53], or (iii) human migration from or to Colombia [54,55].…”