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Epicuticular lipids induce aggregation in Chagas disease vectors
Alicia N Lorenzo Figueiras1, Juan R Girotti, Sergio J Mijailovsky
1Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata (CCT La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, calles 60 y 120 1 degrees piso, CP 1900, La Plata, Argentina. mjuarez@isis.unlp.edu.ar.
Triatomine bugs aggregate using contact pheromones from their epicuticular lipids. Free fatty acids, particularly octadecanoic and hexacosanoic acids, act as attractants, aiding Chagas disease vector control strategies.
Area of Science:
- Chemical Ecology
- Insect Behavior
- Vector Biology
Background:
- Triatomine bugs transmit Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
- Aggregation behavior is crucial for triatomine bug survival, aiding refuge location and predator avoidance.
- Aggregation is influenced by thigmotaxis, fecal cues, and contact chemoreception via epicuticular lipids.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify contact aggregation pheromones in the triatomine bug Triatoma infestans.
- To determine which epicuticular lipid fractions and fatty acids elicit aggregation behavior.
Main Methods:
- Response of T. infestans nymphs to epicuticular lipid extracts and fractions was tested in a binary choice arena.
- Filter papers were impregnated with lipid extracts, fractions, or solvent as controls.
- Response to individual fatty acids (C16:0, C18:0, C26:0) at varying concentrations was evaluated.
Main Results:
- Insects aggregated significantly around papers treated with total epicuticular lipid extracts.
- Only the free fatty acid fraction significantly promoted bug aggregation.
- Octadecanoic acid (C18:0) and hexacosanoic acid (C26:0) showed significant attractant effects, with C26:0 becoming repellent at higher doses.
Conclusions:
- Free fatty acids in epicuticular lipids function as contact aggregation pheromones for T. infestans.
- Identification of these pheromones offers potential for developing novel Chagas disease vector control tools.
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