Eco-epidemiology of vectorial Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in a region of northeast Brazil

This study aims to characterize triatomines role in transmitting T. cruzi to dogs and humans in the district of Santo Inácio, located in the northwest region of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It also describes environmental factors in housings associated with insect occurrence and assesses the perception, knowledge, and preventive practices adopted by the population regarding CD. Blood samples of humans and dogs, and biological samples of triatomines, were collected between November 2018 and February 2019 and subjected to the detection of T. cruzi by serological and molecular biology tests. Also, we applied a questionnaire to research the perception, knowledge, and local practices of people related to CD. The capture of triatomines in households was associated with exploratory variables of the questionnaires using multivariate logistic regression (p<0.05). The 155 triatomines captured in the wild and domestic environment were of the species Triatoma sherlocki (n=151), Panstrongylus sherlocki (n=1) and Triatoma sordida (n=3), and had a natural infection rate for T. cruzi by PCR of 18.5%, 100% and 0%, respectively. District residents (n=126) were seronegative for T. cruzi, while 17.5% (7/40) of the dogs were seropositive. The fact that residents are aware that triatomines can "cause" CD was configured as a protection factor for residents according to the fitted logistic regression model (p=0.04). However, respondents have limited perception and knowledge about the CD, preventi...
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research