Epidemiological profile of Chagas disease in Southern coastal Ecuador: pilot study of the <em>Trypanosoma cruzi</em> infection in the vector <em>Triatoma dimidiata</em>

Abstract

Chagas disease is a prevalent and potentially fatal parasitic infection that affects millions of people, especially in Latin America. The causative agent of the disease is the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted mainly by blood-sucking insect vectors of the subfamily Triatominae. The objective of this study was to analyze the infection by Trypanosoma cruzi in the vector Triatoma dimidiata in a rural area of Southern coastal Ecuador. Triatominae searches were carried out in peridomestic habitats of households located in Bajada de Chanduy, a rural village in the border between Santa Elena and Guayas provinces. Feces and intestinal contents were extracted from the insects and observed in the microscope for the presence of mobile trypanosomes. Approximately 72% of the insects analyzed were infected with trypanosomes. This percentage reflects the occurrence of active foci of T. cruzi and the potential risk that this poses for people living in rural villages in the study area. The trypanosomes that were found infecting the triatomine bugs will be molecularly identified and a study of the genetic variability of the population of T. dimidiata collected at the study site will be carried out in the future. The results of all these analyses will provide a better understanding of the epidemiology of Chagas disease in rural Ecuador, which is an essential step in the development of control and prevention strategies for the transmission of this pathogenic parasite.

Keywords

• Enfermedad de Chagas
• Trypanosoma cruzi
• Triatoma dimidiata
• Ecuador