Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Population Genetics: What Have We Learned from Microsatellites?

The genetic structure of insect vectors offers valuable insights for identifying panmictic units, reinfestation sources, and minimal intervention units in vector control programs. This review highlights key findings on the genetic structure of Triatoma infestans populations using microsatellites across various geographic scales and landscapes.

Microsatellites have been employed to explore the genetic structure of T. infestans across Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Peru. Research has focused on understanding genetic structure, assessing the impacts of short and long-distance migration, identifying sources of reinfestation post-insecticide spraying, evaluating the effects of insecticides on variability, and investigating the potential contribution of sylvatic foci to household infestation.

Triatoma infestans populations are highly structured across countries, landscapes, and geographical levels. Although support for the isolation-by-distance migration model is mixed, most studies point to a combination of active and passive dispersal. Insecticide spraying significantly influences genetic structure, intensifying differentiation. Reinfestation is mainly attributed to internal residual foci at the village level. Finally, the contribution of sylvatic populations to (re)infestation varies across geographic areas.