Triatoma

Triatoma

Triatoma is a genus of assassin bug in the subfamily Triatominae The members of Triatoma are blood-sucking insects that can transmit serious diseases, such as Chagas disease....

 brasiliensis Neiva, 1911 is now considered the most important Chagas disease

Chagas disease

Chagas disease is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is commonly transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect vector, the blood-sucking insects of the subfamily Triatominae most commonly species belonging to the Triatoma, Rhodnius,...

vector in the semiarid areas of northeastern Brazil. T. brasiliensis occurs in 12 Brazilian states, including Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, and Paraíba.

T. brasiliensis is native to this part of Brazil, and thus persists in the natural environment. This makes control problematic (see below).

Populations

There are at least four populations of T. brasiliensis: brasiliensis, melanica, juazeiro, and macromelasoma.

Control

The control strategies against this vector are very complex due to its capacity to infest natural and artificial environments presenting high levels of population density.