[Monitoring triatomid bug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) presence by sentinel chicken coops in Southern Jalisco State, México].
BACKGROUND
Chagas disease is an important public health problem in Mexico. At least 30 Triatominae species, vectors of that disease have been recorded, most with domiciliary habits and tendency to invade human dwellings.


OBJECTIVE
The usefulness of using chicken coops was evaluated for monitoring peridomestic triatomine presence, identity and infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Materials and methods. A year-long, longitudinal field study was designed. Fifty chicken coops were placed in 50 human dwellings on three localities in Teocuitatlán de Corona County, Jalisco State, Mexico. The coops and human dwellings were routinely inspected to determine if the coops alone can monitor for the presence of triatomines.


RESULTS
Significantly (p<0.05) more Meccus longipennis specimens (93.0%) than of Triatoma barberi (7.0%) were collected. Almost a third (31.3%) of M. longipennis and none of T. barberi specimens were collected in the coops. Meccus longipennis was found with infections of Trypanosoma cruzi of 25.7%, and T. barberi of 53.2%. Most triatomines were collected in spring and summer months.


CONCLUSIONS
Chicken coops proved useful tools to detect presence of M. longipennis; however, they were not effective for T. barberi. The importance of M. longipennis as a potential vector was confirmed, and the possible primary vector role of T. barberi was established as well.
Martínez-Ibarra
José Alejandro
JA
Área de Entomología Médica, Centro Universitario del Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara, Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, México.
Martínez-Grant
Jorge Alejandro
JA
Verdugo-Cervantes
Miguel Roberto
MR
Bustos-Saldaña
Rafael
R
Nogueda-Torres
Benjamín
B
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D014224:Triatoma