Integrated molecular approaches to elucidate the ecological associations of Triatoma brasiliensis: food sources, microbiota and diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi

• Grant number: 17/21359-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Entomology and Malacology of Parasites and Vectors
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Eduardo de Almeida
• Grantee: Maurício Lilioso de Lucena Filho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/08176-9 - An integrative approach to morphological and molecular diversity of Triatoma brasiliensis, the main Chagas Disease vector in the Brazilian semiarid: elucidating links along the epidemiological chain, AP.JP

Abstract

In the semi-arid zones of Brazil, Triatoma brasiliensis is the most important vector of Chagas' disease. This triatomine is involved in a complex eco-epidemiological net because it occupies different environments, such as wild, peri-domiciliary and domiciliary. Before the advent of new generation sequencing, the molecular techniques available to access the ecological associations of triatomines had limitations for recognizing the diversity of the organisms associated to the vector. Therefore, this project aims to apply an integrative molecular approach via metabarcoding to (i) characterize the food sources of T. brasiliensis; (ii) recognize the intestinal bacterial microbiota of this vector and (iii) the diversity of Trypanosoma cruzi carried by T. brasiliensis. The DNA extracted from the digestive tract of insect populations from the three environments where the species can be found in the state of Rio Grande do Norte will be used. For the hosts recognition and the bacterial community of the intestinal microbiota the 16S rRNA gene sequences present in the gut of the insects with specific primers for each group will be analyzed. To recognize the diversity of T. cruzi, a multiplex PCR with three primers for the region of the mini-exon of this parasite will be performed. The protocol using metabarcoding exhibits greater sensitivity compared to conventional molecular approaches to detect, for example, multiple blood feedings in insects as well as multiclonal T. cruzi infections. The integrated analysis of the results may allow the evaluation of ecological interactions that combine to modulate the parasite transmission. (AU)

Scientific publications

(5)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

KAMIMURA, EDGARD H.; VIANA, MARIA CAROLINA; LILIOSO, MAURICIO; FONTES, FERNANDA H. M.; PIRES-SILVA, DAYANE; VALENCA-BARBOSA, CAROLINA; CARBAJAL-DE-LA-FUENTE, ANA L.; FOLLY-RAMOS, ELAINE; SOLFERIN, VERA N.; THYSSEN, PATRICIA J.; et al. Drivers of molecular and morphometric variation in Triatoma brasiliensis (Hemiptera: Triatominae): the resolution of geometric morphometrics for populational structuring on a microgeographical scale. PARASITES & VECTORS, v. 13, n. 1, p. 15-pg., 2020-09-07. (17/19420-0, 16/08176-9, 17/21359-8, 17/09088-9, 18/04594-6, 17/50329-0, 18/04205-0)

LILIOSO, MAURICIO; REIGADA, CAROLINA; PIRES-SILVA, DAYANE; FONTES, FERNANDA VON H. M.; LIMEIRA, CLEANNE; MONSALVE-LARA, JACKELINE; FOLLY-RAMOS, ELAINE; HARRY, MYRIAM; COSTA, JANE; ALMEIDA, CARLOS EDUARDO. Dynamics of food sources, ecotypic distribution and Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Triatoma brasiliensis from the northeast of Brazil. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, v. 14, n. 9, SEP 2020. (17/50329-0, 16/08176-9, 17/21359-8)

CHABOLI ALEVI, KAIO CESAR; BITTINELLI, ISADORA DE FREITAS; GRZYB DELGADO, LUIZA MARIA; MADEIRA, FERNANDA FERNANDEZ; DE OLIVEIRA, JADER; LILIOSO, MAURICIO; FOLLY-RAMOS, ELAINE; DA ROSA, JOAO ARISTEU; VILELA AZEREDO-OLIVEIRA, MARIA TERCILIA. Molecular cytotaxonomy of the Triatoma brasiliensis species subcomplex (Hemiptera, Triatominae). Acta Tropica, v. 201, JAN 2020. (13/19764-0, 17/21359-8)

LILIOSO, MAURICIO; PIRES-SILVA, DAYANE; MASCARENHAS FONTES, FERNANDA VON HERTWIG; OLIVEIRA, JADER; DA ROSA, JOAO ARISTEU; VILELA, ROBERTO V.; FOLLY-RAMOS, ELAINE; ALMEIDA, CARLOS EDUARDO. Triatoma petrocchiae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): A Chagas disease vector of T. brasiliensis species complex associated to reptiles. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION, v. 82, AUG 2020. (16/08176-9, 17/21359-8)

LIMA-OLIVEIRA, TARCIANNE M.; FONTES, FERNANDA VON HERTWIG M.; LILIOSO, MAURICIO; PIRES-SILVA, DAYANE; GERALDES TEIXEIRA, MARTA MARIA; VERGARA MEZA, JOSE GABRIEL; HARRY, MYRIAM; FILEE, JONATHAN; COSTA, JANE; VALENCA-BARBOSA, CAROLINA; et al. Molecular eco-epidemiology on the sympatric Chagas disease vectors Triatoma brasiliensis and Triatoma petrocchiae: Ecotopes, genetic variation, natural infection prevalence by trypanosomatids and parasite genotyping. Acta Tropica, v. 201, JAN 2020. (17/50329-0, 16/08176-9, 17/21359-8, 17/09088-9)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

LUCENA FILHO, Maurício Lilioso de. Dynamics of food sources, ecotypic distributtion and Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) infection in triatomines from the northeast of Brazil. 2022. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Biologia Campinas, SP.