Kissing bugs (Triatominae) are obligate hematophagous (blood-feeding) insects and the only known vector of Chagas' disease (Trypanasoma cruzi). Hematophagous insects host important symbiotic bacteria within their guts, yet this phenomenon has not been investigated thoroughly in triatomines. In this study, we investigated the natural host-microbiome relationship in multiple species of triatomines native to the USA. We sampled individuals of all life stages from pack rat (Neotoma albigula) nests and created 16S amplicon libraries to investigate the factors influencing microbiome community composition.
Results/Conclusions
Our results show that ontogeny, species identity, and location are the primary factors influencing gut microbiome community composition, based on significant differences in Shannon index and richness (using NMDS with PERMANOVA tests). Contrary to previous reports about triatomine microbiomes, we demonstrate that there is a high degree of deterministic influence on microbiome composition. Our results are the first to focus on the microbiomes of triatomines in sylvatic disease cycles, as well as providing the first report on the bacterial microbiome community within multiple previously-unstudied species.