Seroepidemiology of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the semiarid rural zone of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: A seroepidemiological survey was carried out to evaluate Trypanosoma cruzi infection in an endemic area of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, involving rural residents. METHODS: Sixteen municipalities were randomly selected, 15 from the west mesoregion and one from the central,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Carlos Ramon do Nascimento Brito, George Harisson Felinto Sampaio, Antonia Cláudia Jácome da Câmara, Daniela Ferreira Nunes, Paulo Roberto Medeiros de Azevedo, Egler Chiari, Lúcia Maria da Cunha Galvão
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2012
Subjects:
Trypanosoma cruzi
Doença de Chagas
Soroprevalência
Variáveis epidemiológicas
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86822012000300013
https://doaj.org/article/6ebf28dd8da24242aa3ce4ee4e47a4bc
Description
Summary:INTRODUCTION: A seroepidemiological survey was carried out to evaluate Trypanosoma cruzi infection in an endemic area of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, involving rural residents. METHODS: Sixteen municipalities were randomly selected, 15 from the west mesoregion and one from the central, with an estimated population of 83,852 individuals. A total of 1,950 blood samples were collected in the west mesoregion and 390 in Caicó. Anti-T. cruzi antibodies were detected using the Chagatest® ELISA HAI-hemagglutination kits and indirect immunofluorescence. As sera presented indeterminate results, TESAcruzi® western blot was performed to confirm reactivity. RESULTS: An estimated seroprevalence of 6.5% was determined for the west mesoregion and 3.3% for Caicó. Seropositivity rises progressively with the age of individuals, up to 40 years in Caicó and up to 50 years in the west mesoregion. Only educational level and knowledge regarding the triatomine were associated with seropositivity. No seroreactive individuals under 18 years of age were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Infection by T. cruzi remains high and is concentrated in municipalities in the central western area of the west mesoregion; however, evidence suggests a decline in vector transmission in this mesoregion and in Caicó. Epidemiological variables appear not to influence seropositivity, with the exception of education and knowledge concerning the triatomine, among seroreactive individuals from the west mesoregion.

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