Silent expansion: triatomines in urban and periurban environments of the Amazon

Authors

  • Manoella da Silva Moura Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde na Amazônia Ocidental, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, mouramannu@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1626-791X
  • Luciana Braga da Silva Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde na Amazônia Ocidental, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, lucyanna.bs@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0262-9673
  • Fernanda Portela Madeira Universidade Federal do Acre, Centro Multidisciplinar Cruzeiro do Sul, Campus Floresta, Floresta, Acre, Brazil, fernanda.ufac@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2046-6775
  • Mariane Albuquerque Lima Ribeiro Universidade Federal do Acre, Centro de Ciências da Saúde e do Desporto, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, mariane.ribeiro@ufac.br https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6475-3285
  • Jader de Oliveira Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação para Amazônia, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, jader.oliveira@unesp.br https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2588-1911
  • Dionatas Ulises de Oliveira Meneguetti Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde na Amazônia Ocidental, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, dionatas.meneguetti@ufac.br https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1417-7275

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5216/rpt.v54i2.81722

Abstract

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The vectorial route remains the primary mode of transmission of this disease, with triatomine insects serving as the primary vectors. These insects are frequently reported in urban and periurban areas, particularly in the Amazon region. Therefore, this study aimed to identify triatomine species and their positivity for trypanosomatids in urban and periurban areas of the Brazilian Legal Amazon. This systematic review was conducted in five stages: hypothesis formulation, literature search, findings selection, data collection, and results synthesis. Genera Rhodnius and Panstrongylus were the most abundant, with R. montenegrensis, R. pictipes, R. robustus, and P. geniculatus being the most frequently reported species. T. cruzi infection rate varied within the following ranges: R. robustus (8% to 75%), R. montenegrensis (15% to 72%), and R. pictipes (5% to 68%). These three species were also reported to be infected by T. rangeli. T. cruzi infection rate in P. geniculatus ranged from 10.8% to 71.4%. Additionally, Eratyrus mucronatus was frequently reported intruding into households, mainly in peridomestic areas, with records of T. cruzi infection in this environment. One of the factors related to the occurrence of triatomines in urban areas was environmental degradation and the consequent scarcity of fauna, which drives these insects to artificial environments. Thus, the compilation of these data reinforces the importance of continuous monitoring of triatomines in urban and periurban areas, aiming for more effective control of both Chagas disease and its vectors.

KEY WORDS: Vectors; triatominae; Trypanosoma cruzi; vector-borne transmission; epidemiology

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Author Biographies

Jader de Oliveira, Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação para Amazônia, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, jader.oliveira@unesp.br

2. Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil.
3. Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., USA.

Dionatas Ulises de Oliveira Meneguetti, Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde na Amazônia Ocidental, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil, dionatas.meneguetti@ufac.br

2. Universidade Federal do Acre, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação para Amazônia, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

3. Colégio Aplicação, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

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Published

2025-08-08

How to Cite

DA SILVA MOURA, Manoella; BRAGA DA SILVA, Luciana; PORTELA MADEIRA, Fernanda; ALBUQUERQUE LIMA RIBEIRO, Mariane; DE OLIVEIRA, Jader; DE OLIVEIRA MENEGUETTI, Dionatas Ulises. Silent expansion: triatomines in urban and periurban environments of the Amazon. Revista de Patologia Tropical / Journal of Tropical Pathology, Goiânia, v. 54, n. 2, 2025. DOI: 10.5216/rpt.v54i2.81722. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/iptsp/article/view/81722. Acesso em: 7 feb. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 54 No. 2 (2025)

Section

REVIEW

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