# Vectorial capacity of American triatomines for multiple strains of Trypanosoma cruzi

> **NIH NIH R03** · TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH · 2020 · $74,250

## Abstract

Project Summary
Vectorial capacity of American triatomines for multiple strains of Trypanosoma cruzi
Chagas disease, caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a lifelong, life-
threatening infection affecting over eight million people worldwide. Blood-feeding insects of the
family Triatominae, also called kissing bugs, transmit T. cruzi during or shorty after a blood meal
when infected bug feces enters the bite wound or a mucous membrane. Triatomines occupy
diverse habitats from the southern cone of South America through the southern United States.
Much remains unknown about key components of North American triatomine behavior and
biology that determine the likelihood of human disease transmission. This proposal uses
experimental infections of laboratory populations of three epidemiologically important North
American triatomine species to determine their susceptibility to infection with native parasite
strains. Further, the feeding and defecation behavior of these species are used as a measure of
transmission probability—the more quickly the triatomine defecates while taking a blood meal,
the more likely transmission is to occur. These measures will parameterize a model of vectorial
capacity, which measures the risk presented by vectors to human exposure. The development
of this analytical framework is critical to the identification of environmental characteristics
leading to increased spillover to humans, and targeting vector control efforts towards the vector
and vertebrate species most likely to transmit T. cruzi to humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9873925
- **Project number:** 5R03AI144711-02
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M AGRILIFE RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Anne Hamer
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $74,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-15 → 2021-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9873925

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9873925, Vectorial capacity of American triatomines for multiple strains of Trypanosoma cruzi (5R03AI144711-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9873925. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*