[Survival of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in Triatoma infestans (Klug, 1834)].
Triatoma infestans is the main domestic vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasitic agent of Chagas' disease in South America. We investigated whether Triatoma infestans could shelter the HIV-1 virus. For this purpose, we measured the survival time of the virus in the alimentary tract. Fifth-instar nymphs of the blood-sucking bug were fed through an ad hoc apparatus with venous blood from asymptomatic HIV-1 seropositive patients. We attempted to evidence the virus by cultivating material from the insect gut (wall and content) on lymphocyte co-culture. Retrovirus activity was demonstrated in the culture supernatant by dosing the p24 antigen and the reverse transcriptase activity. The virus has been found alive in the gut content of Triatoma infestans up to the 7th day after the last infectious meal of the insect.