<p>Spontaneous colonization of <em>Panstrongylus megistus</em> (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in an experimental chicken coop: A potential k-strategist species?</p>

Abstract

Vector-borne transmission by blood-feeding triatomine insects remains the main route of Chagas disease infection. These insects are becoming increasingly common in urban environments. Spontaneous domiciliation of Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in experimental chicken coop: a possible K-strategist species. A study of population dynamics was carried out on a population of P. megistus that spontaneously colonized the experimental chicken coop (ECC) in a rural area from 1998 to 2002. The mark-release-recapture method was applied on P. megistus specimens in various developmental stages. Frequency distributions were analyzed using the Kiritani-Nakasuji method. The colonizer population ranged from 19 to 208 specimens, the development cycle from nymph I to adult lasted 540 days, and the total (K) and daily (S) survival rates were 0.2573 and 0.9975, respectively. The ECC was an important tool for population and surveillance studies. The colony in the ECC, an artificial ecotope, was stable, suggesting epidemiological importance in maintaining enzootic cycles of Trypanosoma cruzi and other trypanosomatids. The life cycle and survival rate suggest this species may be a K-strategist.