title: Triatomines in dwellings and outbuildings in an endemic area of Chagas disease in northeastern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study identified the triatomines collected in intra and peri-domestic environments, observed the occurrence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in triatomines and correlated this information with housing conditions and the fauna associated with the rural areas of the City of Itabaianinha, located in the State of Sergipe, Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quarterly visits were conducted between March 2009 and March 2010, and the homes to be visited for the active search of insects were determined by random selection. In each housing unit, the insects were collected by a manual search with a metal clip and flashlight to inspect openings and cavities, with a collection time of one hour/home/individual. The Pirisa® dislodge chemical was used to force the insects to leave their ecotopes. Analysis of the intestinal contents of triatomines was performed in the laboratory to establish the presence of Trypanosomatidae.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 103 dwellings surveyed, 17.5% were infested with Panstrongylus megistus. The village of Mutuca exhibited the highest infestation rate (38.1%). All the villages with relevant infestation rates were situated in the northern area of the city. The highest percentage of vector infection was found in the village of Água Boa (56.5%). The rural dwellings were found to be primarily brick or wooden house with or without roughcast or plastered walls, and the outbuilding most frequently associated with triatomines was the chicken run.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results emphasise the need for broader vector control and surveillance and for educational campaigns in the context of the Chagas Disease Control Program.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Instituto de Tecnologia e Pesquisa, Universidade Tiradentes, Aracaju, SE.
authors.forename: Antonio Fernando Rodrigues
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Veronica de Lourdes Sierpe
authors.initials: Vde L
authors.lastname: Jeraldo
authors.forename: Maxwell Souza
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Rubens Riscala
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Madi
authors.forename: Thiago Bicudo Krempel
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Cláudia Moura de
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Melo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006798:Housing; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology*; D010203:Panstrongylus / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification*