Seroprevalence of Chagas disease in rural communities at Campinas do Piauí city, Brazil.

OBJECTIVES

This manuscript aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Chagas's disease in the population of rural communities at Campinas do Piauí city, State of Piauí, Brazil.

METHODS

The techniques of the indirect immunofluorescence reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect reagent samples for Chagas disease and estimate its prevalence in the rural population. Blood samples were collected on filter paper through digital and venipuncture. Blood samples with reactive or indeterminate results were re-evaluated and subjected to the test by ELISA.

RESULTS

In total, 763 blood samples were analysed from 161 residences of 18 rural communities, collected in residents aged between 2 and 92 years. In the indirect immunofluorescence reaction technique, 44 (5.8%) of the results were positive, being 40 (5.2%) confirmed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Among the communities surveyed, we observed reactive cases in 15 of them, these cases being distributed, according to the age group, as follows: 1 case from 0 to 10 years; 13 cases from 11 to 60 years old; and 30 cases over 61 years.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that Chagas's disease remains with active transmission in the Campinas do Piaui city according to the occurrence of a case in a resident under 10 years of age. The region is endemic for Chagas's disease, as observed by the high prevalence of positive cases.