Seasonal variation in the home range and host availability of the blood-sucking insect Mepraia Spinolai in wild environment

Abstract

n this study, we quantify the home range of Mepraia spinolai, a wild vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, and the abundance of wild mammals during summer and winter seasons in a protected area of north-central Chile. Results revealed significant differences between seasons for home range size and host availability. M. spinolai presented larger home range sizes, and mammal hosts were more abundant in summer, indicating that T cruzi would have a higher probability of being transmitted during warmer months.