First Record of a Secondary Chagas Disease Vector Triatoma nitida in a High-Altitude Region

In the present study, the presence of Triatoma nitida, a secondary vector of Chagas disease, is reported for the first time at an elevation of 1,600 meters above sea level (MASL) in the Department of Sololá, Guatemala. An adult male specimen was collected inside a plastered house with a palm roof. The authors of previous studies reported that T. nitida is a secondary vector in Mexico and Central America, generally found between 40 and 1,500 MASL. Further research on T. nitida is needed to confirm whether its geographic distribution is expanding and to understand the potential role of vector distribution expansion in Chagas disease transmission.