[Epidemiology of American trypanosomiasis in the North of Corrientes province, Argentina].

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate triatomine colonization in domestic and extradomestic ecotopes, to determine triatomines infection index and to assess human prevalence of anti Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies at Berón de Astrada and Mburucuyá Departments, Corrientes, Argentina. Samplings were performed in 2007 and 2008 in randomly selected households at rural areas. Diagnosis of Chagas infection in volunteer residents was performed using indirect hemagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence and indirect immunoen-zimatic assay. Thirty human dwellings and 25 peridomestic ecotopes were searched at Berón de Astrada, and 32 houses and 33 peridomiciles at Mburucuyá. A total of 19 nymphs were captured in a chicken coop at Mburucuyá, the infestation rate was 3.0%. At Berón de Astrada 4.0% of the peridomiciles resulted infested by Triatoma sordida, a female and 58 eggs were collected in a hen nest. Trypanosoma cruzi infection was not detected in Triatoma sordida. The prevalence human rate was 5.2% (11/77) at Mburucuyá and 14.3% (4/77) at Berón de Astrada. Presence of triatomines was not confirmed at the human dwellings, and the infestation of the peridomestic structures was low. It is necessary to implement new strategies of vectorial control, especially for those species that prevail in the peridomicile and sylvatic ecotopes. Seroprevalence was lower that the observed in previous investigations in other rural areas of Corrientes. The absence of seroreactives in the 0-10 age group suggests a halt in T. cruzi transmission in the studied area.