Post-control surveillance of Triatoma infestans and Triatoma sordida with chemically-baited sticky traps.

Background: Chagas disease prevention critically depends on keeping houses free of triatomine vectors. Insecticide spraying is very effective, but re-infestation of treated dwellings is commonplace. Early detection-elimination of re-infestation foci is key to long-term control; however, all available vector-detection methods have low sensitivity.

Origins of Chagas disease: Didelphis species are natural hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi I and armadillos hosts of Trypanosoma cruzi II, including hybrids.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, has at least two principal intraspecific subdivisions, T. cruzi I (TCI) and T. cruzi II (TCII), the latter containing up to five subgroups (a-e).