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. 2014 Jun;90(6):1059-62.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0204. Epub 2014 Apr 7.

A common Caatinga cactus, Pilosocereus gounellei, is an important ecotope of wild Triatoma brasiliensis populations in the Jaguaribe valley of northeastern Brazil

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A common Caatinga cactus, Pilosocereus gounellei, is an important ecotope of wild Triatoma brasiliensis populations in the Jaguaribe valley of northeastern Brazil

Carolina Valença-Barbosa et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Triatoma brasiliensis is the most important vector of Chagas disease in the Caatinga eco-region of northeastern Brazil. Wild T. brasiliensis populations have been reported only from rocky outcrops. However, this species frequently infests/re-infests houses in rock-free sedimentary lowlands. We therefore hypothesized that it should also occupy other natural ecotopes. We show that a common Caatinga cactus, Pilosocereus gounellei, locally known as xiquexique, often harbors T. brasiliensis breeding colonies apparently associated with rodents (n = 44 cacti, infestation rate = 47.7%, 157 bugs captured). Our findings suggest that infested cacti might be involved in house re-infestation by T. brasiliensis in the Caatinga region.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A, Pilosocereus gounellei (xiquexique) cacti, a common natural ecotope of both rodents and Triatoma brasiliensis in the Caatinga, northeastern Brazil. B, Rodent feces under a xiquexique cactus. C, Live-bait traps with rodent feces and T. brasiliensis. D, A researcher observes a timber pile occupied by T. brasiliensis and Galea sp. located near xiquexique cacti in a preserved lowland site of the Jaguaribe valley, Ceará, Brazil.

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