Triatoma rubrovaria (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) in the Pampa biome, Brazil: a retrospective study of its occurrence and abundance.

Triatoma rubrovaria has been captured in some areas of Rio Grande do Sul State (RS), Brazil, as this species can be found in the Pampa biome. Its distribution across this biome should be described in detail to verify the potential of this vector to transmit Trypanosoma cruzi. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of T.

Occurrence and distribution of Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister, 1835) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) in a metropolitan area of Southern Brazil.

Two triatomine genera (Panstrongylus and Triatoma) have essentially been recorded in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Panstrongylus megistus should be highlighted since this species is one of the main vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi in Brazil, due to its wide geographical distribution and the high susceptibility to this protozoan. This study aimed to present not only the occurrence and distribution of P.

Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in blood donors in the extreme South of Brazil.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Chagas disease among blood donors in southern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: The study was conducted from 2010 to 2019 based on data registered by the Hemocentro Regional de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul.

Results: There were 106,320 blood donations, and the discard rate of blood bags, either due to positive reactions to anti-T.

Soil contamination by Ancylostoma spp. and Toxocara spp. eggs in elementary school playgrounds in the extreme south of Brazil.

Millions of people worldwide, and especially schoolchildren, may be infected by geohelminths due to their exposure to a contaminated environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil contamination by Ancylostoma spp. and Toxocara spp.

Current situation of Chagas disease vectors (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) in Southern Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.

Chagas disease (CD) has been considered endemic in the South of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) State, Brazil. This study aimed at evaluating the occurrence of Trypanosoma cruzi vectors based on the main species captured in Southern Rio Grande do Sul State from 2008 to 2019. The study area comprised counties that belong to the 3rd Regional Health Coordination (RHC) and to the 7th RHC, whose headquarters are in Pelotas and Bage, respectively.

Residual foci of Triatoma infestans infestation: Surveillance and control in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2001-2018.

Introduction: This retrospective study conducted from 2001 to 2018 investigated the residual foci of Triatoma infestans infestation in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: The data were obtained via entomological surveillance and the distribution of vector occurrence. The coverage of active research was mapped.

Helminth eggs with zoonotic potential in the vicinity of public schools in southern Brazil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate environmental contamination by helminth eggs with zoonotic potential that were found in dog feces in the vicinity of elementary schools. Seventy-nine samples of dog feces were collected from 28 municipal schools located in five neighborhoods in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The samples were processed using the Willis-Mollay technique and analyzed using an optical microscope (40X), to identify any parasite eggs present.

Ovicidal and larvicidal potential of Rosmarinus officinalis to control gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Gastrointestinal Nematode Infection (GIN) are the main constraint to the production of small ruminants. Studies of medicinal plants have been an important alternative in the effort to control these parasites. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal activity of essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis.

Detection of Toxocara canis DNA in tissues of experimentally infected mice.

The main etiological agent of toxocariasis is the helminth Toxocara canis. Several difficulties are found in the diagnosis of this disease, because of nonspecific clinical signs and possible cross-reactions that may occur in the available test, the indirect ELISA. Therefore, molecular diagnosis has been indicated as an alternative to conventional diagnosis.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis in a human rural population of Southern Rio Grande do Sul.

Due to the growing population of pets, especially homeless dogs and cats, zoonoses still represent a significant public health problem. Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. are epidemiologically important zoonotic agents as they are etiological factors of human toxoplasmosis and toxocariasis, respectively.

Prevalence of and risk factors for intestinal parasite infections in pediatric patients admitted to public hospitals in Southern Brazil.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis and to identify risk factors associated therewith in hospitalized children.

Methods: Three fecal samples from each patient were evaluated using three different techniques. The patients' nutritional and socioeconomic status and hematologic profiles were evaluated.

Trypanosoma cruzi seroprevalence and associated risk factors in cancer patients from Southern Brazil.

Introduction:: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Chagas disease in patients treated at a Public Oncology Service in the City of Pelotas, Southern Brazil.

Methods:: This study included 200 individuals undergoing cancer treatment and involved the use of a questionnaire and venous blood collection for the detection of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibody.

Results:: The study found a 5% prevalence of patient seropositivity.

Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi/HIV coinfection in southern Brazil.

Chagas disease reactivation has been a defining condition for acquired immune deficiency syndrome in Brazil for individuals coinfected with Trypanosoma cruzi and HIV since 2004. Although the first coinfection case was reported in the 1980s, its prevalence has not been firmly established. In order to know coinfection prevalence, a cross-sectional study of 200 HIV patients was performed between January and July 2013 in the city of Pelotas, in southern Rio Grande do Sul, an endemic area for Chagas disease.

Assessment of the Housing Improvement Program for Chagas Disease Control in the Northwestern municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Introduction:: The Housing Improvement Program for Chagas Disease Control (HIPCDC) was established in 2001 in Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul State, aiming to improve the conditions of the domiciliary and peridomiciliary environments to make them resistant to triatomine colonization. This study aimed to assess the impact of the HIPCDC on triatomine control by developing local population and authority awareness on the issue.

Methods:: The study was conducted by means of questionnaires applied to local authorities and the program beneficiaries.

Trichomonas vaginalis PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS FOR WOMEN IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL.

Trichomonas vaginalis infections have been associated with other diseases so that epidemiological studies of the parasite are important and help to prevent the spread of the disease. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalis in female patients of 19 counties in southwestern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Serological diagnosis of Chagas disease in HIV-infected patients.

Introduction: This study assessed the rate of request for the serological diagnosis of Chagas disease among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients treated at the Specialized Care Service of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data obtained from the medical records of 252 patients aged between 18 and 75 years.

Results: The serological diagnosis of Chagas disease was requested only in 3.

Frequency of geohelminths in public squares in Pelotas, RS, Brazil.

The frequency of parasitic contamination of public areas in the municipality of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, was studied between June 2010 and May 2011, when soil samples were collected from eight city squares. Out of 400 samples submitted to centrifugal floatation technique in solution of sodium dichromate with density of 1.35, 176 (44%) proved positive for at least one parasite; 29 (16.

Toxocara spp. seroprevalence in sheep from southern Brazil.

Visceral toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic zoonosis that occurs through the ingestion of embryonated Toxocara spp. eggs. A wide range of animal species can act as paratenic hosts for this ascarid.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara infection in children from southern Brazil.

The seroprevalence of Toxocara canis antibodies in children aged from 1 to 12 yr old was evaluated in Pelotas City, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Human toxocariasis or visceral larva migrans (VLM) was diagnosed with the use of an ELISA based on the T. canis excretory-secretory (TES) antigens; Western blotting was used to confirm the ELISA-positive results.

First report of Lagochilascaris (Nematoda: Ascarididae) eggs in a public park in Southern Brazil.

Public parks, especially in developing countries, are places where stray animals run free and may contaminate the environment with different species of parasites. In an evaluation of environmental sanitation of these sites, soil samples were collected monthly from public parks in the Pelotas city, Rio Grande do Sul State, Southern Brazil. Eggs of the nematode Lagochilascaris sp.

Presence of eggs of Toxocara spp. and hookworms in a student environment in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Environmental contamination by parasite forms was studied on a university campus in the municipality of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. Soil samples were analyzed using the modified Caldwell & Caldwell technique to identify parasite forms. Nematode eggs were detected in 62% of the samples.

Presence of Toxocara canis eggs on the hair of dogs: a risk factor for Visceral Larva Migrans.

The close contact between dogs and humans poses a high risk of exposure to Toxocara canis eggs, which can lead to Visceral Larva Migrans (VLM) syndrome. The objective of this study was to investigate the existence of these nematode eggs on the hair of the perianal region in stray and owned dogs. Samples of hair from 104 dogs of different ages were collected: 25 (24%) were positive for T.

[Analysis on the food source of Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) and its present importance as a vector for Trypanosoma cruzi, in the State of Minas Gerais].

Introduction: Investigation of the food source of triatomines helps in understanding the biology of these insects, and also helps to infer their importance in transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi to humans.

Methods: The present study aimed to use the precipitin reaction to record the food source of triatomines from 54 municipalities in the central-western region of the State of Minas Gerais, as well as their natural infection by flagellates similar to Trypanosoma cruzi.

Results: From July 2003 to March 2007, 416 insects were evaluated, all from the species Panstrongylus megistus.

[Evaluation of knowledge and practices related to Chagas disease and its vectors among adults and children in an endemic region in Minas Gerais State, Brazil].

Despite the success of the Chagas Disease Control Program (PCCD) in Brazil, some endemic areas have experienced difficulty in maintaining the program's activities, especially after the health system's decentralization, since the sustainability of control measures for Chagas disease and vectors is known to depend on information and community participation. This study aimed to analyze knowledge and practices related to vectors and Chagas disease in Bambuí, Minas Gerais State, Brasil. The population's knowledge was tested with a questionnaire, accompanied by six illustrations of triatomine bugs for identification.

[Evaluation of the Chagas Disease Control Program and presence of Panstrongylus megistus in central-western Minas Gerais State, Brazil].

The Brazilian National Chagas Disease Control Program (PCDCh) is currently in the epidemiological surveillance phase and poses one of the principal challenges for maintaining and improving surveillance. With the decentralization of health actions, leading to the transfer of responsibilities over the control of endemic diseases to the State and Municipal governments, some municipalities have faced difficulties in implementing the Program, since they lack experience in controlling this disease. This study analyzes the current situation with epidemiological surveillance of Chagas disease in 54 municipalities (counties) in central-western Minas Gerais State, with a view towards evaluation and improvement of the process.