Journal of Medical Entomology (2022) 59, 2150-2157

F. Martínez-Hernández, G. Villalobos, O.D. Montañez-Valdez and J.A. Martínez-Ibarra (2022)
A new record of the introduced species Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Mexico
Journal of Medical Entomology 59 (6), 2150-2157
Abstract: Here, we report a new record of Triatoma infestans (Klug) in Mexico after 50 years and provide a brief description of the discovery area. Fifty-nine specimens (71.2% adults) of the introduced species were collected from the peridomestic areas of a single house in the port of Manzanillo in the state of Colima, Mexico. Thirty-one specimens (52.5%) were collected from the exterior walls of the house and were apparently attracted to light. The other specimens (47.5%) were associated with chickens. No specimen was infected with Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, the causative agent of Chagas disease, possibly because they were feeding on chickens. We speculate that the introduced species travelled from South America to Mexico via seed shipment in a twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) maritime container. Because Mexican phytosanitary regulations demand only the cargo to be inspected, the triatomines could have escaped notice during inspection. Subsequently, as the cargo was unloaded and the TEU was stored, the triatomines likely flew to and invaded the nearby residential areas. The rediscovery of this domestic vector of T. cruzi in Mexico warrants further investigation owing to the potential risk of transmission to the inhabitants of the study area.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): José Alejandro Martínez-Ibarra

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Triatoma infestans		Mexico