Morphological and molecular characteristics of a Trypanosoma sp. from triatomines (Triatoma rubrofasciata) in China

作者：Yunliang Shi, De‐Hua Lai, Dengyu Liu, Liyan Du, Yuanyuan Li, Yuanyuan Li, Xiaoyin Fu, Peichao Deng, Lili Tang, Shanshan He, Yan-Wen Li, Qin Liu, Yan-Wen Li, Qin Liu · 发表于：Parasites & Vectors · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s13071-024-06274-w · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Trypanosoma species research and implications、Parasites and Host Interactions、Research on Leishmaniasis Studies

BACKGROUND: Triatomines (kissing bugs) are natural vectors of trypanosomes, which are single-celled parasitic protozoans, such as Trypanosoma cruzi, T. conorhini and T. rangeli. The understanding of the transmission cycle of T. conorhini and Triatoma rubrofasciata in China is not fully known. METHODS: The parasites in the faeces and intestinal contents of the Tr. rubrofasciata were collected, and morphology indices were measured under a microscope to determine the species. DNA was extracted from the samples, and fragments of 18S rRNA, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and glycosomal glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) were amplified and sequenced. The obtained sequences were then identified using the BLAST search engine, followed by several phylogenetic analyses. Finally, laboratory infections were conducted to test whether Tr. rubrofasciata transmit the parasite to rats (or mice) through bites. Moreover, 135 Tr. rubrofasciata samples were collected from the Guangxi region and were used in assays to investigate the prevalence of trypanosome infection. RESULTS: Trypanosoma sp. were found in the faeces and intestinal contents of Tr. rubrofasciata, which were collected in the Guangxi region of southern China and mostly exhibited characteristics typical of epimastigotes, such as the presence of a nucleus, a free flagellum and a kinetoplast. The body length ranged from 6.3 to 33.9 µm, the flagellum length ranged from 8.7 to 29.8 µm, the nucleus index was 0.6 and the kine...