Detection of viral particles in the salivary glands of the hemipteran, Triatoma infestans Klug
Mello, M.L.; Dias, C.A.
Cellular and Molecular Biology Including Cyto-Enzymology 27(5): 459-466
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0145-5680 PMID: 7326701 Document Number: 178162
Small virions were detected in the salivary glands of T. infestans. They appeared within cytoplasmic globules and eventually between adjoining plasmalemmae. The cells which contained viral particles acquiring well-ordered arrays exhibited nuclei with irregular outlines and with several types of inclusions. These virions are suspected to be present in the globules bound by membranes which are discharged into the lumen of the D1 glands during their secretory activity. These insects are used in the laboratory for the diagnosis of Chagas disease, so the possibility of transmission of this virus into man must be taken into account. .