Population structure of the Chagas disease vector, Triatoma infestans, at the urban-rural interface

The increasing rate of biological invasions resulting from human transport or human-mediated changes to the environment have had devastating ecologic and public health consequences. The kissing bug, Triatoma infestans, has dispersed through the Peruvian city of Arequipa. The biological invasion of this insect has resulted in a public health crisis, putting thousands of residents of this city at risk of infection by Trypanosoma cruzi and subsequent development of Chagas disease. Here we show that populations of Tria. infestans in geographically distinct districts within and around this urban center share a common recent evolutionary history although current gene flow is restricted even between proximal sites. The population structure among the Tria. infestans in different districts is not correlated with the geographic distance between districts. These data suggest that migration among the districts is mediated by factors beyond the short-range migratory capabilities of Tria. Infestans a...