A key for identifying faecal smears to detect domestic infestations of triatomine bugs

Early detection of residual populations of domestic triatomine bugs that survive insecticide treatment is a key component of successful evaluation and vigilance for Chagas disease control. We have recently demonstrated that sheets of paper, tacked on to the walls of infested houses, can become streaked with the faeces of triatomine bugs and thus reveal thepresence of an infestation. In thispaper, wepresent a simple key to differentiate the faecal streaks of triatomine bugs from those of other domestic arthropods such as cockroaches, ticks and cimicid bedbugs.

Penetração do Trypanosoma cruzi através do ponto da picada de triatomíneos

Testou-se a eficiência do ponto da picada de triatomineos como via de infecção para o T. cruzi, utilizando-se modelo experimental em camundongos. A infecção, por essa porta de entrada, ocorreu em 24% dos animais. Considerando-se que os testes foram realizados em condições ótimas, conclui-se que a aquisição da doença de Chagas por esta via não seja comum.

The influence of humidity on the residual action of benzene hexachloride (BHC)

In controlled humidity chambers in the laboratory differences in the absorption velocity of BHC were observed depending on the substrate sprayed. While BHC is no longer used in Chagas' disease control this data could have relevance to spraying houses in a controlprogramme with other insecticides.