Development of Trypanosoma (Schizotrypanum) hedricki in Cimex brevis (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Abstract

Trypanosoma hedricki Bower and Woo from the blood of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois)) developed in Cimex brevis Usinger and Ueshima. Approximately 24 h after the infected blood meal, the majority of the flagellates were still present in the first ventriculus of the gut but had transformed into epimastigotes. These epimastigotes divided by longitudinal binary fission. Four days after the blood meal, a few flagellates had reached the rectum of bugs held at 25 °C. These transformed into long thin metatrypanosomes. Not all bugs could be infected with T. hedricki but by 12 days after feeding, bugs with trypanosomes usually contained large numbers of metatrypanosomes in the rectum. These metatrypanosomes were infective to big brown bats when inoculated via the intraperitoneal or oral route. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte)) could not be infected. The morphology of the vector forms was similar to that of forms cultured in diphasic blood agar medium at about 21 °C and to those of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas reported from triatomine bugs.Trypanosoma hedricki would not develop in blood-feeding mites (Steatonyssus occidentalis (Ewing)), Rhodnius prolixus Stål, or Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus).