Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, VOLUME 121 | 2026
Research Articles
First record of Triatoma vitticeps (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) colonising a brick house in an urban area of a devastated Atlantic Forest fragment in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
1Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Laboratório Nacional e Internacional de Referência em Taxonomia de Triatomíneos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
2Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, RJ, Brasil
3Fundação Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
4Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, RJ, Brasil
DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760260038
332 views
315 downloads
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND Triatoma vitticeps (Stål, 1859), a primarily sylvatic vector of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909), has been reported invading dwellings and peridomiciliary ecotopes in several regions of Brazil.
OBJECTIVES and METHODS Here, we report for the first time, the colonisation of a brick house by T. vitticeps in the municipality of São José do Vale do Rio Preto, Rio de Janeiro State.
FINDINGS Inside the house, indicators of colonisation were recorded, including 15 eggs, 11 nymphs, two exuviae, and 19 adult specimens. T. cruzi infection was detected in 13 specimens and the blood meal source identification, through amplification of DNA fragments indicated the presence of human blood as one of the feeding sources in seven specimens.
MAIN CONCLUSIONS The infested dwelling was treated with insecticide to control the infestation, and residents were appropriately instructed to remain vigilant for the presence of triatomines and to contact health authorities if new specimens were detected.
REFERENCES
01. Galvão C. Triatominae bugs: history, control, and citizen surveillance. Dis Biol Genet Socioecol. 2025; 1(3): 8. doi: 10.53941/ dbgs.2025.100008.
02. Barbosa-Silva NA, Honorato NRM, Souza RCM, Dale C, Cunha JLR, Aleida CE, et al. Triatoma chiarii sp. nov. (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): a new species in the Triatoma brasiliensis complex from Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. Parasit Vectors. 2026; 19: 9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-07014-4.
03. Gurgel-Gonçalves R, Galvão C, Costa J, Peterson AT. Geographic distribution of Chagas disease vectors in Brazil based on ecological niche modeling. J Med Entomol. 2012; 705326: 1-15.
04. Costa J, Dale C, Galvão G, Almeida CE, Dujardin JP. Do the new triatomine species pose new challenges or strategies for monitoring Chagas disease? An overview from 1979-2021. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2021; 116: 1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0074- 02760210015.
05. Lent H, Wygodzinsky P. Revision of the Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) and their significance as vectors of Chagas’ Disease. 1st ed. New York: American Museum of Natural History. 1979; 1-408.
06. Galvão C. Vetores da doença de Chagas no Brasil. Curitiba: Sociedade Brasileira de Zoologia. 2014; 289 pp. Zoologia: guias e manuais de identificação series. Available from: http://books. scielo.org>.
07. Gonçalves TCM, Oliveira E, Dias LS, Almeida MD, Nogueira WO, Ávila Pires FD. An investigation on the ecology of Triatoma vitticeps (Stal, 1859) and its possible role in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, in the locality of Triunfo, Santa Maria Madalena municipal district, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1998; 93(6): 711-7.
08. Gonçalves TCM, Rocha DS, Cunha RA. Feeding patterns of Triatoma vitticeps in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rev Saude Publica. 2000; 34(4): 348-52.
09. Santos CB, Leite GR, Sessa PA, Falqueto A. Dynamics of feeding and defecation in Triatoma vitticeps (Stal, 1859) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) and its potential in the transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2006; 101(5): 543-6.
10. Dias JCP, Feitosa VR, Ferraz Filho AN, Rodrigues VLC, Alencar SA, Sessa PA. Fonte alimentar e potencial vetorial de Triatoma vitticeps (Stål, 1859) com relação à doença de Chagas humana no estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil (Hemiptera, Reduviidae). Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1989; 84(Suppl. 4): 165-73.
11. dos Santos CB, Ferreira AL, Leite GR, Ferreira GEM, Rodrigues AAF, Falqueto A. Peridomiciliary colonies of Triatoma vitticeps (Stal, 1859) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) infected with Trypanosoma cruzi in rural areas of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2005; 100(5): 471-3. doi: 10.1590/ s0074-02762005000500004.
12. de Souza RCM, Barbosa SE, Sonoda IV, Azeredo BVM, Romanha AJ, Diotaiuti L. Population dynamics of Triatoma vitticeps (Stål, 1859) in Itanhomi, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2008; 103(1): 14-20.
13. Testai R, de Oliveira F, Dario MA, Quinze AL, de Mello FL, Jansen AM, et al. Unveiling the ecology and spatial dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi, its DTUs and Triatoma vitticeps in the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Espírito Santo State, Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2026; 20(3): e0014111. doi: 10.1371/journal. pntd.0014111.
14. Lent H. Transmissores da moléstia de Chagas no estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rev Flum Med. 1942; 6: 1-13.
15. Pinto AFS, Santos UM, Zaganelli FL, Almeida AZ, Carrancho PV. Doença de Chagas no estado do Espírito Santo VI - Observações sobre o Triatoma vitticeps, vetor do Trypanosoma tipo cruzi no município de Alfredo Chaves - ES. Rev Bras Med Trop. 1969; 3: 53-4.
16. Lorosa ES, Valente MVM, Cunha V, Lent H, Jurberg J. Foco na doença de Chagas em Arcádia, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2003; 98(7): 885-7.
17. Lorosa ES, Santos CM, Jurberg J. Foco da doença de Chagas em São Fidélis, no estado do Rio de Janeiro. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2008; 41: 419-20.
18. Paiva PX, Vallejo GA, Montilla M, Nicholl RS, Puerta CJ. Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli infection in triatomine vectors by amplification of the histone H2A/ SIRE and the sno-RNA-C11 genes. Rev Inst Med Trop São Paulo. 2007; 49: 23-30.
19. Folmer O, Black MB, Wr H, Lutz R, Vrijenhoek RC. DNA primers for amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I from diverse metazoan invertebrates. Mol Mar Biol Biotechnol. 1994; 3(5): 294-9.
20. Ribeiro Jr R, Santos CGS, Lanza F, Reis J, Vaccarezza F, Diniz C, et al. Wide distribution of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected triatomines in the State of Bahia, Brazil. Parasit Vectors. 2019; 12: 604. doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3849-1.
21. Ricardo-Silva A, Gonçalves TCM, Luitgards-Moura JF, Lopes CM, Silva SP, Bastos AQ, et al. Triatoma maculata colonises urban domicilies in Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2016; 111(1): 703-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0074-02760160026.
22. Martins MF, Moraes SC, Oliveira J, Santos JC, Santos-Silva KL, Galvão C. Triatoma williami in intradomiciliary environments of urban areas in Mato Grosso State, Brazil: Domiciliation process of a wild species? Infect Dis Poverty. 2022; 11: 1-18. doi: https://doi. org/10.1186/s40249- 022-00938-4.
23. Moura MS, Silva LB, Madeira FP, Neves FWO, Menezes ALR, Rosa JÁ, et al. Flying to the moon: impactful accounts of triatomines invasion from the 2nd to the 13th floor of an urban residential building in the municipality of Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2024; 57: e00415. doi: http://doi/ org/10.1590/0037-8682-0122-2024.
24. Peixoto SR, Rocha DS, Dale C, Galvão C. Panstrongylus geniculatus (Latreille, 1811) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): first record on Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Check List. 2020; 16(2): 391-4. doi: https://doi.org/10.15560/16.2.391.
25. Seabra AP, Oliveira-Correia JPS, Oliveira QM, Silva MCRE, Iniguez AM, Galvao C. First record of Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) from Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2025; 58. doi:10.1590/0037-8682-0025-2025.
26. Costa J, Lorenzo M. Biology, diversity and strategies for the monitoring and control of triatomines — Chagas disease vectors. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2009; 104(Suppl. 1): 46-51. doi: 10.1590/ S0074-02762009000900008.
27. Costa J, Dornak LL, Almeida CE, Peterson AT. Distributional potential of the Triatoma brasiliensis species complex at present and under scenarios of future climate conditions. Parasit Vectors. 2014; 7(1): 238.
28. Carbajal-de-la-Fuente AL, Casaccia PS, Piccinali RV, Provecho Y, Salvá L, Meli S et al. Urban vectors of Chagas disease in the American continent: a systematic review of epidemiological surveys. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022; 16: e0011003. https://doi. org/10.1371/ journal.pntd.00110.
29. Dias JVL, Queiroz DRM, Martins HR, Gorla DE, Pires HHR, Diotaiuti L. Spatial distribution of triatomines in domiciles of an urban area of the Brazilian Southeast Region. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2016; 111(1): 43-50. doi: 10.1590/0074-02760150352.
30. Dario MA, Lisboa CV, Costa LM, Moratelli R, Nascimento MP, Costa LP, et al. High Trypanosoma spp. diversity is maintained by bats and triatomines in Espírito Santo state, Brazil. PLoS One. 2017; 12(11): e0188412. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0188412.
31. Lima-Neiva V, Toma HK, Aguiar LMA, Lopes CM, Dias LP, Gonçalves TCM, et al. The connection between Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycles by Triatoma brasiliensis brasiliensis: a threat to human health in an area susceptible to desertification in the Seridó, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021; 15: e0009919. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009919.
32. Costa J, Peterson AT. Ecological niche modeling as a tool for understanding distributions and interactions of vectors, hosts, and etiologic agents of Chagas disease. In: Mylonakis E, Ausubel FM, Gilmore M, Casadevall A, editors. Recent advances on model hosts. New York: Springer; 2012. p. 59-70.
33. Rebaudo F, Costa J, Almeida CE, Silvain JF, Harry M. Dangles O. Simulating population genetics of pathogen vectors in changing landscapes: guidelines and application with Triatoma brasiliensis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014; 8(8): e3068.
34. Alevi KCC, Garcia ACC, Guerra AL, Moreira FFF, de Oliveira J, Aristeu da Rosa J, et al. Triatoma vitticeps (Stal, 1859) (Hemiptera, Triatominae): a Chagas disease vector or a complex of vectors? Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2018; 99(4): 954-6. doi: 10.4269/ ajtmh.17-0512.
35. Costa J, Bargues MD, Neiva VL, Lawrence GG, Gumiel M, Oliveira G. Phenotypic variability confirmed by nuclear ribosomal DNA suggests a possible natural hybrid zone of Triatoma brasiliensis species complex. Infect Genet Evol. 2016; 37: 77-87. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2015.10.025.
36. Paz MA, Meireles ACA, Galvão C, Gil-Santana HG, Julião GR. “WhatsBarb” citizen surveillance: survey of insects mistaken for Triatomines. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2025; 58: e00403. doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0240-2024.
37. Almeida CE, Faucher L, Lavina M, Costa J, Harry M. Molecular individual-based approach on Triatoma brasiliensis: inferences on triatomine foci, Trypanosoma cruzi natural infection prevalence, parasite diversity and feeding sources. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016; 10(2): e0004447. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004447.
+ Corresponding author: jcosta@ioc.fiocruz.br | 
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6664-1394
Received 06 February 2026
Accepted 16 June 2026
HOW TO CITE
Costa J, Guerra GFC, Firmino FCO, Campbell Jr EO, da Silva CJ, Oliveira-Correia JPS, et al. First record of Triatoma vitticeps (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) colonising a brick house in an urban area of a devastated Atlantic Forest fragment in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 2026; 121: e260038.
Handling editor: Ademir de Jesus Martins Jr | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5739-1215
