Rhodnius prolixus Colonization and Trypanosoma cruzi Transmission in Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Plantations in the Orinoco Basin, Colombia.

Trypanosoma cruzi is the etiological agent of Chagas disease that infects more than seven million people in Latin America. The parasite is transmitted by triatomine insects, of which some species are often associated with palms. The establishment of oil palm plantations (Elaeis guineensis) in the Orinoco region (Colombia) has been rapidly growing, possibly constituting a new environment for the establishment and increase in triatomine populations. In this study, the potential of Rhodnius prolixus to colonize E. guineensis plantations and maintain T. cruzi transmission was assessed. Fieldwork was conducted in two areas located in the department of Casanare for sampling E. guineensis and Attalea butyracea palms, sampling for triatomines to determine their abundance and prevalence of T. cruzi infection. To assess T. cruzi transmission potential in the area, sylvatic and domestic mammals were sampled. Results showed that palm infestation with triatomines was higher in A. butyracea than in E. guineensis palms and T. cruzi infection in triatomines varied between habitats for one study area, but was constant in the other site. Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mammals in the E. guineensis plantations were mainly generalist rodents, suggesting that these mammals could have an important role in T. cruzi transmission in plantations. In conclusion, E. guineensis plantations in the Orinoco region are suitable habitats for R. prolixus and T. cruzi transmission.

Mites (Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae and Spelaeorhynchidae) associated with bats in northeast Brazil.

In this article, we present the results of a study about mites associated with bats collected in the State of Pernambuco, northeast Brazil. Of the 331 bats collected, 23 were found naturally infested by mites, corresponding to an overall prevalence of 6.9% (95% confidence interval: 4.5-10.2). Four mite species were collected from seven bat species. The following mite-bat associations were recorded: Periglischrus acutisternus Machado-Allison on Phyllostomus discolor Wagner; Periglischrus ojastii Oudemans on Carollia perspicillata L.; Periglischrus iheringi Oudemans on Artibeus lituratus (Olfers), Artibeus planirostris Spix, Platyrrhinus lineatus (E. Geoffroy), and Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy); and Spelaeorhynchus praecursor Neumann on C. perspicillata. This study definitively confirms the presence of S. praecursor in Pernambuco and records for the first time the presence of three spinturnicid species (i.e., P. acutisternus, P. ojastii, and P. iheringi) in northeast Brazil.