First Identification of Naturally Infected Paratriatoma hirsuta: A Vector for Trypanosoma cruzi and Implications for Chagas Disease Transmission

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The first detection of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) in wild-caught Paratriatoma hirsuta (P. hirsuta) from military installations near the United States/Mexico border in California and Arizona is reported in the present study. As part of a Chagas disease surveillance initiative, 20 adult and 63 immature P. hirsuta were collected from 16 wood rat nests, along with sympatric Triatoma rubida (T. rubida). Initial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening revealed presumptive T. cruzi-positive samples, which were reanalyzed using a novel kinetoplast PCR assay with validated targets. Amplicons were sequenced using Sanger analysis, confirming T. cruzi infection. The presence of T. cruzi was confirmed in P. hirsuta (9%) and T. rubida (7%). The present study highlights the potential role of P. hirsuta as a secondary vector in sylvatic zoonotic T. cruzi transmission cycles in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts and how this informs Chagas disease surveillance and prevention in the region.

Source: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.26-0007

Institutions: Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, San Diego State University, Texas State University

Language: English

Topic: Trypanosoma species research and implications

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Awards: G4436877411, G6960028322

OpenAlex ID: W7204494219