Incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in two Guatemalan communities.
Paz-Bailey, G;
Monroy, C;
Rodas, A;
Rosales, R;
Tabaru, R;
Davies, C;
Lines, J;
(2002)
Incidence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in two Guatemalan communities.
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 96 (1).
pp. 48-52.
ISSN 0035-9203
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0035-9203(02)90236-1
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The prevalence of human infection by Trypanosoma cruzi was assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a serological survey in 1998 of 2 rural communities (SMH and PS) in Guatemala. In SMH (Department of Zacapa), where Rhodnius prolixus was the principal vector, the seroprevalence amongst 373 people tested was 38.8%. In PS (Department of Santa Rosa), where the main vector was Triatoma dimidiata, 8.9% of the 428 people tested were seropositive. The overall prevalence of seropositivity was higher in females than in males in both SMH (40% vs 36%) and PS (11.9% vs 4.9%), although this difference was significant only in PS. Historical seroconversion rates, estimated retrospectively by fitting a transmission model to the age-prevalence curves, were 3.8% per year in SMH and 0.5% per year in PS. There was some indication of a recent reduction in incidence in both villages. In PS, but not in SMH, both the observed prevalence and the estimated incidence rates were significantly higher in females than in males.