pathogens Article Triatomine Feeding Profiles and Trypanosoma cruzi Infection, Implications in Domestic and Sylvatic Transmission Cycles in Ecuador Sofía Ocaña-Mayorga 1,2 , Juan José Bustillos 1, Anita G. Villacís 1,2, C. Miguel Pinto 3 , Simone Frédérique Brenière 1,4,† and Mario J. Grijalva 1,2,*,† 1 Centro de Investigación para la Salud en América Latina (CISeAL), Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Calle San Pedro y Pamba Hacienda, Nayón 170530, Ecuador;
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[email protected] (J.J.B.);
[email protected] (A.G.V.);
[email protected] (S.F.B.) 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA 3 Observatorio de Biodiversidad Ambiente y Salud (OBBAS), Quito 170517, Ecuador;
[email protected] 4 Intertryp, IRD-Cirad, TA A-17/G Campus International de Baillarguet, Université de Montpellier, CEDEX 5, 34398 Montpellier, France * Correspondence:
[email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Understanding the blood meal patterns of insects that are vectors of diseases is fundamental in unveiling transmission dynamics and developing strategies to impede or decrease human–vector contact. Chagas disease has a complex transmission cycle that implies interactions between vectors, parasites and vertebrate hosts. In Ecuador, limited data on human infection are available; however, the presence of active transmission in endemic areas has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity of hosts that serve as sources of blood for triatomines in domestic, Citation: Ocaña-Mayorga, S.; peridomestic and sylvatic transmission cycles, in two endemic areas of Ecuador (central coastal Bustillos, J.J.; Villacís, A.G.; Pinto, and southern highland regions).