Fragment detection of Coleopteran and Triatomine insects in experimentally contaminated acai pulp and sugarcane juice

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Elaine Cristina de Mattos, Maria Aparecida Moraes Marciano, Vilma dos Santos Menezes Gaiotto Daros, Cristiane Castro Faccini, Angela Maria Lourenço, Vera Lucia Pereira-Chioccola
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2019
• Subjects: Coleoptera; Euterpe; Triatominae; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Food; Foodborne Diseases; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0119-2019; https://doaj.org/article/4f277c21d11c419a8cdf5e43ae2a47c2

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Oral transmission of acute Chagas disease is an emerging public health concern. This study aimed to detect insect fragments in experimentally contaminated food, by comparing triatomines with other insects. METHODS Food samples were experimentally contaminated with insects, processed to recover their fragments by light filth, and analyzed by microscopy and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). RESULTS: Morphological differences between coleopteran and triatomine insects were observed in microscopic images. PCR was efficient in amplifying Triatominae DNA in the experimentally contaminated food. CONCLUSIONS: This methodology could be utilized by food analysts to identify possible insect contamination in food samples.