Sensitivity of Gomez-Nuñez boxes for the detection of household infestation with Panstrongylus megistus

• Main Authors: Joseph Piesman, Italo A. Sherlock
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 1984-03-01
• Series: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Triatomíneos; Doença de Chagas; Panstrongylus megistus; Gomez-Nuñez
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86821984000100005&lng=en&tlng=en

Four methods for detecting household infestations with Panstrongylus megistus were compared: 1) manual collection; 2) collection after pyrethrum application; 3) search viable eggs; and 4) Gomez-Nuñez boxes. Manual collection was the most sensitive method (23% infested), followed by pyrethrum (21%), Gomez-Nuñez boxes (15%) and viable eggs (12%). About 10% of infested houses were positive exclusively on the Gomez-Nuñez box test. More over, 6 out of the 7 houses positive exclusively on the Gomez-Nuñez method were located in a recently sprayed area, where P. megistus density was low. Inspection of Gomez-Nuñez boxes at 12 weekspost-application was twice as effective as inspection at 6 weekspost-application. Triatomine feces was the most common evidencefor thepresence of P. megistus found within Gomez-Nuñez boxes. Gomez-Nuñez boxes area a useful adjunct to manual collection in detecting domestic infestations with P. megistus, especially in areas where bug densities are low. However, the utility of Gomez-Nuhez boxes must be weighed against the time and labor they require.