Interactions among Triatoma sanguisuga blood feeding sources, gut microbiota and Trypanosoma cruzi diversity in southern Louisiana

Integrating how biodiversity and infectious disease dynamics are linked at multiple levels and scales is highly challenging. Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease, with specificities of the triatomine vectors andTrypanosoma cruziparasite life histories resulting in a complex multihost and multistrain life cycle. Here, we tested the hypothesis thatT. cruzitransmission cycles are shaped by triatomine host communities and gut microbiota composition by comparing the integrated interactions ofTriatoma sanguisugain southern Louisiana with feeding hosts,T. cruziparasite and bacterial microbiota in two habitats. Bugs were collected from resident's houses and animal shelters and analysed for genetic structure, blood feeding sources,T. cruziparasites, and bacterial diversity by PCR amplification of specific DNA markers followed by next-generation sequencing, in an integrative metabarcoding approach.T. sanguisugafeeding host communities appeared opportunistic and defined by host abundance in each habitat, yielding distinct parasite transmission networks among hosts. The circulation of a large diversity ofT. cruziDTUs was also detected, with TcII and TcV detected for the first time in triatomines in the US. The bacterial microbiota was highly diverse and varied significantly according to the DTU infecting the bugs, indicating specific interactions among them in the gut. Expanding such studies to multiple habitats and additional triatomine species would be key to further refine our understanding of the complex life cycles of multihost, multistrain parasites such asT. cruzi, and may lead to improved disease control strategies.