Abstract
The detection of household infestations of Triatominae in regions endemic for Chagas’ disease is a criterion frequently used in the selection of areas, or of individual houses, for treatment in insecticide campaigns as well as for the evaluation of insecticide performance.
Several methods for the detection of domestic infestations with Triatominae were compared: diurnal capture of live bugs with the aid of a flushing-out agent, night-capture without using flushing-out agents and the use of cardboard boxes of the the Gómez-Núñez type. The flushing-out and Gómez-Núñez box methods were found to be equally sensitive, although each gave several houses as uninfested in which infestation was detected by the other method. The night-capture method was slightly more sensitive but was found to be impractical for large-scale surveys. Improvements to the flushing-out method, notably the introduction of a systematic search technique, made it much more sensitive than the Gómez-Núñez box method for both heavily infested houses and for houses 3 months after insecticide treatment.
Coating the inside surfaces of the boxes with adhesive did not increase the sensitivity of this method and, although this can be achieved by leaving the boxes in place for long periods of time, this also limits the value of the information thus obtained as regards the evaluation of insecticides. On the basis of the results presented, the flushing-out method using a systematic search of the house was found to be the most suitable sampling technique, but it is recognized that this method still has limitations.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arcoverde de Freitas C. (1962) Combate á doença de Chagas (programa para 1962). Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 14, 415–421.
Arcoverde de Freitas C. (1974/1975) Alguns aspectos da epidemiologia e profilaxia da doenca de Chagas no Brasil. Revta bras. Malar Doenç. trop. 26/27, 61–92.
Bustamante F. M., Carvalho A. G., Verano O. T. and Padilha C. (1957) Observações sobre a ação dos inseticidas dieldrin e BHC contra o Triatoma infestans no interior das habitações. Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 9, 305–311.
Bustamante F. M. and Gusmão J. B. (1954) Sobre a possibilidade de erradicação do Triatoma infestans com duas ou três aplicações domiciliares de BHC. Resultado de uma prova de campo. Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 6, 102–113.
Dias J. C. P. and Dias R. B. (1979) Doença de Chagas—u ma visão sócio-econômica e cultural. In Congresso International Sobre a Doença de Chagas. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Dias E., Silva Pinto O., Pellegrino J. and Castro J. A. (1952) Ensaio experimental de luta contra os Triatomineos por meio de inseticida de ação residual. Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 4, 22–46.
Fomm A. S., Noda J., Ishiata G. K. and Maluf F. (1971) Observações sobre reinfestações por T. infestans em área controlada por BHC, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 23, 29–40.
Forattini O. P., Juarez E. and Corrêa R. R. (1969a) Medida de infestação domiciliar por Triatoma infestans. Revta Saúde públ. São Paulo 3, 11–16.
Forattini O. P., Juarez E., Rabello E. X., Pattoli D. and Corrêa R. R. (1969b) Infestação domiciliar por Triatoma infestans e alguns aspectos epidemiológicos da tripanossomose americana em área do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Revta Saúde públ São Paulo 3, 159–172.
Forattini O. P., Rabello E. X., Pattoli D. G. B. and Corrêa R. R. (1971) Observações sobre a infestação domiciliar residual por Triatoma infestans. Revta Saúde públ. São Paulo 5, 17–21.
Gamboa C. J. (1965) Comprobación de la presencia de Rhodnius prolixus en la vivienda rural. Boln. Dir. Malar. San. Amb. 5, 270–274.
Gómez-Núñez J. C. (1965) Desarrollo de um nuevo método para evaluar la infestación intradomiciliaria por Rhodnius prolixus. Acta cient. venez. 16, 26–31.
Pedreira de Freitas J. L. (1963) Importância do expurgo seletivo dos domicílios e anexos para a profilaxia da molestia de Chagas pelo combate aos Triatomíneos. Archos Hig. Saú de públ. 28, 217–272.
Pinchin R. (1981) Insecticide field trials for the control of Chagas’ disease vectors: a review and recommendations. WHO/VBC unpublished document. In press.
Pinchin R., Oliveira Filho A. M., Ayala C. A. C. and Gilbert B. (1978) Slow-release insecticides for triatomine control: preliminary field trials. Revta bras. Malar. Doenç. trop. 30, 57–63.
Pinchin R., Oliveira Filho A. M., Fanara D. M. and Gilbert B. (1980a) A preliminary field trial of decamethrin (OMS 1998) for the control of Triatoma infestans. WHO/VBC unpublished document No. 80.797.
Pinchin R., Oliveira Filho A. M. and Gilbert B. (1979) Field trials of slow-release formulations of chlorpyrifos and malathion for the control of Chagas’ disease vectors. Revta bras. Malar. Doenc. trop. 31, 19–27.
Pinchin R., Oliveira Filho A. M. and Gilbert B. (1980b) Field trial of permethrin for the control of Triatoma infestans. WHO/VBC unpublished document, No. 80.779.
Pinchin R., Oliveira Filho A. M. and Pereira A. C. B. (1980c) Flushing-out activity of pyrethrum and some synthetic pyrethroids on Panstrongylus megistus, a vector of Chagas’ disease. Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 74, 801–803.
Pinotti M. (1954) Controle da doença de Chagas no Brasil. Revta bras. Malar Doenç. trop. 6, 301–310.
Schenone H., Villarroel F., Rojas A. and Carrasco J. (1979) Estudio comparativo del rendimiento de tres métodos de detección de la presencia de Triatoma infestans. Boln chil. Parasit. 34, 7–21.
Schofield C. J. (1978) A comparison of sampling techniques for domestic populations of Triatominae. Trans. R. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 72, 449–455.
Sherlock I. A. (1976) Field evaluation of insecticides. In New Approaches in American Trypanosomiasis Research, pp. 279–281. Scientific Publication No. 318. Pan American Health Organization, Washington, D.C.
Tonn R. J., Otero M. A. and Jimenez J. (1976) Comparación del método hora-hombre con la trampa Gómez-Núñez en la búsqueda de Rhodnius prolixus. Boln Dir. Malar. San. Amb. 16, 269–275.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pinchin, R., Fanara, D.M., Castleton, C.W. et al. A Comparative Study of Domestic Survey Techniques for the Chagas’ Disease Vector Triatoma Infestans. Int J Trop Insect Sci 3, 79–84 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400001946
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400001946