Population Structure of the Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma infestans in an Urban Environment |
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Authors: | Camilo E. Khatchikian Erica A. Foley Corentin M. Barbu Josephine Hwang Jenny Ancca-Juárez Katty Borrini-Mayori Victor R. Qu?spe-Machaca Cesar Naquira Dustin Brisson Michael Z. Levy The Chagas Disease Working Group in Arequipa |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.; 2. Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.; 3. Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru.; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UNITED KINGDOM, |
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Abstract: | Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease endemic in Latin America. Triatoma infestans, a common vector of this disease, has recently expanded its range into rapidly developing cities of Latin America. We aim to identify the environmental features that affect the colonization and dispersal of T. infestans in an urban environment. We amplified 13 commonly used microsatellites from 180 T. infestans samples collected from a sampled transect in the city of Arequipa, Peru, in 2007 and 2011. We assessed the clustering of subpopulations and the effect of distance, sampling year, and city block location on genetic distance among pairs of insects. Despite evidence of genetic similarity, the majority of city blocks are characterized by one dominant insect genotype, suggesting the existence of barriers to dispersal. Our analyses show that streets represent an important barrier to the colonization and dispersion of T. infestans in Arequipa. The genetic data describe a T. infestans infestation history characterized by persistent local dispersal and occasional long-distance migration events that partially parallels the history of urban development. |
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