A previous work morphologically identified some specimens colonizing peridomestic sites of Manzanillo Colima, Mexico, as Triatoma infestans (Klug). In the present study, a molecular approach using cytochrome B and cytochrome oxidase I was implemented for the genetic identification and determination of the origin of that population. Phylogenetic analyses positively identified our studied specimens as belonging to the T. infestans clade based on genetic markers with high posterior probability values, and the haplotype network showed Uruguay, Chile and Argentina as probable countries of origin of the populations in Mexico, which was supported by gene flow and migration index analyses. Due to the proximity of the port of Manzanillo to the collection sites, the introduced specimens were hypothesized to have travelled from the countries of origin to Mexico in a seed shipment inside a TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) maritime container. The identification of T. infestans in Mexico represents a serious health problem, and the findings presented here indicate a novel pathway for displacing this vector with the possibility of transmission to any other part of the world, which should be further investigated.
Keywords: Chagas disease; Introduced species; Mexico; Molecular approach; Triatoma infestans.
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