Ah. Kollien et Ga. Schaub, THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRYPANOSOMA-CRUZI (TRYPANOSOMATIDAE) IN THE REDUVIID BUG TRIATOMA-INFESTANS (INSECTA) - INFLUENCE OF STARVATION, The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology, 45(1), 1998, pp. 59-63
Fifth instars of Triatoma infestans with established Trypanosoma cruzi
infections were dissected after different periods of starvation to de
termine the population density and the percentage of different develop
mental stages of T. cruzi in the small intestine and rectum of the bug
s. After a short starvation period of 20 days, the population density
in the small intestine was 20% (about 60,000) of the rectal population
. The population in the small intestine was strongly reduced after an
additional ten days of starvation, and no flagellates could be found t
here 60, 90 and 120 days after the last feeding. In the rectum, this r
eduction went down to 1% of the initial population, but a total elimin
ation never occurred. Usually the remaining population contained more
live than dead flagellates. Starvation also resulted in an increase in
the rectum in the number and percentage of drop-like forms, intermedi
ates between sphere-and epi-or trypomastigotes, from 1% initially to a
bout 10% after 90 days of starvation. The percentage of spheromastigot
es increased from 2% at 20 days after the last feeding to about 20% af
ter an additional 40 and 70 days. Therefore, the spheromastigotes of T
. cruzi seem to be induced by stress conditions.