New cases of Chagas disease in a rural area of Northeast Brazilian

Abstract

Introduction:Chagas disease is considered one of the 17 most neglected tropical diseases in the World, with the most common form of vector transmission. Methods: This structured cross-sectional study was conducted through an epidemiological survey in the Tobias Barreto municipality of Sergipe. Results: Of the 255 participants, 1 (0.4%) participant was positive for human Chagas disease. Approximately 30.2% of the participants found the triatomine bugs in their houses and outbuildings. Conclusions: The detection of a case indicated transmission, which was also evidenced by the presence of triatomines and poor housing conditions. Keywords: Chagas disease. Triatominae. Serology.The incidence of human Chagas disease in Latin American countries is estimated at 6-7 million people (1) . The high costs for its treatment in the chronic phase have been a burden on public health systems because of the progressive impairment of the cardiac and digestive forms of the disease (2) .Triatomines are the primary source of transmission and are the vectors responsible for maintaining the sylvatic cycle of the disease. An increased risk of vector-borne transmission is associated with rural areas where the proximity of humans to wild environments favors vector contact.The risk of transmission is high in Sergipe due to the endemicity of triatomines infected by Trypanosoma cruzi in the region; entomological data from the Central Public Health Laboratory of Sergipe [Laboratório Central de Saúde Pública de Sergipe (LACEN-SE)] for the years 2005-2014 motivated the selection of the area. Approximately 168 triatomines sent from the Tobias Barreto municipality were examined. Of these, 81 (48%) were found in the villages of Poço da Clara and Alagoinhas, and 43 (25%) were infested. The regional epidemiologic background was that of a high prevalence of Chagas disease in State of Sergipe (5.9%) based on a national serological survey conducted in 1980; this prevalence is higher than the national average of 4.2%.This study investigated the presence of human Chagas disease via a quantitative cross-sectional and structured epidemiological survey that was conducted in the villages of Alagoinhas and Poço da Clara, in the Tobias Barreto municipality, Sergipe State.Some areas in the villages were visited to evaluate the physical characteristics of the housing; some buildings had reformed physical structures. However, older facilities were maintained consisted of mud houses adjoined to the main houses, used as storage areas for food and materials or as shelter for small pets ( Table 1). After the educational lectures about the risks of transmission of disease and disorders, participants were randomly selected and voluntarily provided informed, written consent and completed a questionnaire about socio-economic and demographic factors, to identify the variables related with transmission risk. Blood samples collected by peripheral venous puncture were centrifuged at the collection site after ten minutes of sedimentation, stored in ice coolers, and ...

Triatomine Fauna and Recent Epidemiological Dynamics of Chagas Disease in an Endemic Area of Northeast Brazil

“…Population studies conducted in the south-central region of the state of Sergipe obtained varying prevalence rates for the adult population [ 48 , 49 ], but these are still relevant and corroborated the seroprevalence indicated by the national serological survey of 1975/1980, which registered a 5.9% occurrence rate in the state of Sergipe [ 50 ]. It is important to note that this seroprevalence was obtained from a field study in which the Chagas disease-positive patients had a mean age of 47.2 years (27–63) [ 49 ].…”