Triatominae

Triatominae is a subfamily of reduviid insects that feeds on vertebrate blood. Several species transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease.

Trypanosoma cruzi: A protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans and other mammals. It survives and develops in triatomine bugs before transmission to a vertebrate host.
Indoor residual spraying: Application of long-lasting insecticide to indoor surfaces where disease vectors rest. It has been used to kill domestic triatomine populations and reduce Chagas transmission.
Reduviidae: A large family of true bugs, many of which are predatory; it includes the assassin bugs. Triatominae is classified within this family.
Triatoma dimidiata: A triatomine species distributed across parts of Central America, Mexico, and northern South America. It is an important regional vector whose populations occupy both domestic and sylvatic habitats.
Chagas disease: A parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, with acute and chronic forms. Infected triatomines transmit the parasite, usually through feces deposited near a bite.
Vector control: Methods that reduce populations of organisms transmitting infectious pathogens. Triatomine control is a major way to prevent vector-borne Chagas disease.
Heteroptera: A major group of true bugs, generally distinguished by forewings with membranous tips. Triatomines belong to this diverse group of insects.
Panstrongylus megistus: A South American triatomine species that can colonize houses and transmit Trypanosoma cruzi. Its ecology illustrates the range of domestic and wild settings used by vector species.
Stercorarian transmission: Parasite transmission in which an insect's feces contaminate a host or enter through a wound. Unlike transmission by saliva, triatomines pass T. cruzi in feces after feeding.
Triatoma infestans: A South American triatomine species that has historically colonized houses and transmitted T. cruzi. Its domestic populations have been a primary target of insecticide campaigns.

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