Inseticide-impregnated bednets with alpha-cypermethrin and chlorfenapyr: evaluation of biological parameters of adults of Triatoma infestans (Reduviidae: Triatominae) after contact.

• Grant number: 25/05977-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 16, 2025
• End date: October 15, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Parasitology - Entomology and Malacology of Parasites and Vectors
• Principal Investigator: Mara Cristina Pinto
• Grantee: Guilherme Wagner Teles Lima
• Supervisor: Pablo Gustavo Guerenstein
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Centro De Investigación Científica Y De Transferencia Tecnológica A La Producción, Argentina
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/10936-8 - Insecticide-impregnated nets with alphacypermethrin and chlorfenapyr: evaluations of biological parameters of Triatoma infestans adults (Reduviidae:Triatominae) after contact, BP.IC

Abstract

Chagas disease is a potentially fatal disease caused by theprotozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommendsimproving early diagnosis and interruption of transmission, the latter byenhancing epidemiological surveillance by combating the vectors of the etiologic agent of this zoonosis, which are triatomines, blood-sucking insects of the Reduviidae family andTriatominae subfamily. Currently, the mosquito netInterceptor® is used in Brazil in malaria-endemic areas with the aim ofcontaining the transmission of this disease. However, this product will soonbe replaced by the Interceptor G2®. Since there are endemic regions withoverlapping malaria and Chagas disease, it is of epidemiological interest to evaluatethe effect of this mosquito net on triatomines. In the first stage of the research, a population of the triatomine insect Triatoma infestans from Mambaí, Goiás, Brazil, was evaluated for mortality and oviposition after exposure to the Interceptor G2® net.The objective of the Research Abroad stage, in the laboratory of Dr. Pablo Guerenstein at the Scientific Research and Technology Transfer Center for Production (CICyTTP, Diamante, Argentina), will be to compare the same biological parameters of the T. infestans population from the province of Chaco, Argentina, after different exposure times to the Interceptor G2® mosquito net. Additionally, behavioral experiments will be carried out to evaluate whether there is an alteration in the attractiveness of the insects to the hosts after contact with the fabrics.