Community-Based Sampling Methods for Surveillance of the Chagas Disease Vector,Triatoma dimidiata(Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)

Abstract

In Guatemala, the most widespread vector of Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), the causative agent of Chagas disease, is Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae). T. dimidiata is native to Guatemala and is present in both domestic and sylvatic habitats. Consequently, control of T. dimidiata is difficult because after successful elimination from homes, individual insects can recolonize homes from the surrounding environment. Therefore, intensive long-term surveillance of this species is essential to ensure adequate control is achieved. Manual inspection for signs of infestation, the current method used to monitor Triatominae throughout Central and South America, is labor and time-consuming, so cost-effective alternatives are needed. The current study compared the effectiveness of the current method of surveillance of T. dimidiata with community-based techniques of G6mez-Nuñez sensor boxes, collection and observation of bugs by householders, and presence of triatomine-like feces on walls. Although manual inspection was the most sensitive method when used alone, collection by householders also was sensitive and specific and involved less effort. Sensor boxes were not sensitive indicators of T. dimidiata infestation when used alone. Two recorded variables, visual inspection for feces and the sighting of bugs by householders, were sensitive and specific indicators of infestation, and in combination with collection by householders and sensor boxes these methods were significantly more likely to detect infestations than manual inspection alone. A surveillance program that combines multiple community-based techniques should have low cost and involve minimal effort from the government and at the same time promote sustainable community involvement in disease prevention.

Risk factors for triatominae infestation in a municipality of Colombia

“…T. dimidiata is the most widely distributed vector of the infectious agent responsible for Chagas disease; 62 it has been reported in Guatemala and Mexico; in Colombia, it has a wide distribution in the Andean, Caribbean, Llanos Orientales, and Alto Magdalena regions, 7 , 17 – 19 , 25 , 26 , 32 , 53 , 63 – 66 so it is of great importance despite being considered a secondary species in the transmission of T. cruzi.…”

Implementing a vector surveillance-response system for chagas disease control: a 4-year field trial in Nicaragua

“…Community participation, where community residents notify health programmes when they find vectors in their houses, is proposed as a key element [23]. Vector collection by householders is proven to be cost-effective and sustainable compared with manual searches by government inspectors [24, 25]. Several models of the community-based vector surveillance for Chagas disease control have been implemented in neighbour countries of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras [26, 27].…”

Do the new triatomine species pose new challenges or strategies for monitoring Chagas disease? An overview from 1979-2021

“… 107 In the face of the relative small epidemiologic importance of the majority of the 47 triatomines listed after Lent & Wygodzinsky, 1 and the significant achievements in terms of modern technologies such as: diagnosis of the diseases, clinical evaluations, precise tools for molecular identification of the vector species, and the T. cruzi discrete typing units (DTUs) characterisation, modeling triatomines distribution throughout algorithm processes, the monitoring of vectors, and the educational programs are still the main actions to keep human populations free of Chagas disease. 108 …”