Vector blood meals are an early indicator of the effectiveness of the ecohealth approach in Halting Chagas transmission in Guatemala
Date
2013
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH)
Abstract
A novel method using vector blood meal sources to assess the impact of control efforts on the risk of
transmission of Chagas disease was tested in the village of El Tule, Jutiapa, Guatemala. Control used Ecohealth
interventions, where villagers ameliorated the factors identified as most important for transmission. First, after an initial
insecticide application, house walls were plastered. Later, bedroom floors were improved and domestic animals were
moved outdoors. Only vector blood meal sources revealed the success of the first interventions: human blood meals
declined from 38% to 3% after insecticide application and wall plastering. Following all interventions both vector blood
meal sources and entomological indices revealed the reduction in transmission risk. These results indicate that vector
blood meals may reveal effects of control efforts early on, effects that may not be apparent using traditional entomological
indices, and provide further support for the Ecohealth approach to Chagas control in Guatemala.
Description
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Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
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Text
Keywords
VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES, CHAGAS DISEASE, GUATEMALA, DISEASE CONTROL, ECOHEALTH, PEST CONTROL
Citation
Pellecer, M.J., Dorn, P.L., Bustamante, D.M., Rodas, A., & Monroy, M.C. (2013). Vector Blood Meals Are an Early Indicator of the Effectiveness of the Ecohealth Approach in Halting Chagas Transmission in Guatemala. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 88(4), 638-644. doi:10.4269/ajtmh.12-0458