Occurrence and variability of Panstrongylus lutzi in the State of Ceará, Brazil.

Panstrongylus lutzi is generally restricted to the "caatinga" areas of north-eastern Brazil. Adult insects are frequently found in local houses, but colonies have not previously been registered in the statistics of the Control Programme of Chagas Disease. In Ceará State, our study revealed increasing occurrence of this species, usually with high infection rates for Trypanosoma cruzi, and always represented by adults that invaded the artificial environment.