El objetivo de este trabajo fué conocer las percepciones y conductas respecto a Tunga penetrans de los habitantes de la localidad de Santa Ana de los Guácaras, Corrientes, Argentina. Se relevaron 46 hogares seleccionados de modo accidental, donde se aplicó una encuesta semiestructurada. En 182 personas evaluadas, se registró una infestación de 68,1%, siendo niños y mujeres los más afectados, con lesiones en pies y manos más frecuentemente. 98% (n=63) de los perros evaluados estaban infestados. 34,8% de las personas reconoció a “tunga” como una pulga, aunque nadie conocía el ciclo de vida ni el mecanismo de transmisión. Los pobladores usan un instrumento punzante para extraer la pulga de la piel y 47,8% se desinfecta posteriormente. La persistencia de tungiasis en el área puede atribuirse a diseminación por animales, falta de su valoración como problema de salud, desconocimiento de métodos de combate y falta de planificación comunitaria para adoptar medidas de control.

The aim of this work was to know the perceptions and behaviour of the inhabitants of Santa Ana de los Guácaras, Corrientes, Argentina with regard to Tunga penetrans. Forty-six homes were selected and studied. The information was obtained by means of structural surveys. Infestation was 68.1% over one hundred and eighty two people. The major frequency was in children and women. Feet and hands were the most frequent sites of infestation. Of the evaluated dogs (n= 63), 96.8% were infested. 34.1% of people recognized the “tunga” as a flea and none of them knew its life cycle or how it was transmitted. The citizens use a sharp element to extract the flea from the skin and 47.0% of them disinfect the wound afterward. The permanency of tungiasis in the area can be attributed to dissemination carried out by animals, to the lack of understanding and importance of the tungiasis as a health problem, the ignorance of methods to combat it and the lack of an adopted community plan of control measures.

The present investigation was carried out with the aim to evaluating the presence canine nematoda parasites in the beaches of the city of Corrientes. One hundred and twenty three samples of canine faecal matter and three hundred and twenty four sand samples proceeding from six beach in the city were analysed. The samples were processed individually by the following methods: sedimentation through centrifugation and Willis flotation. Among the faeces samples 59.3% resulted to be positive. The species found were Ancylostoma spp. (95.9%), Trichuris vulpis (22%), Toxocara canis (4.1%) and Toxascaris leonina (2.7%). Sand contamination was of a 32.7% and the observed species were Ancylostoma spp. (100%) and T. canis (0.3%). The obtained results indicate the need of implementing sanitation environmental measures

An entomological and serological survey was performed in three localities of the Department of Concepción, Province of Corrientes, Argentina in 1998 and 1999, to identify triatomines species involved in domestic and wild transmission of Chagas disease. Triatomines were collected by man/hour capture in 32 houses randomly selected and 44 nearby outdoor ecotopes. Trypanosoma cruzi infection in triatomines was assessed by direct microscopic observation (400x) of feces and polymerase chain reaction. Serological techniques used for people were Indirect Hemagglutination Test and Indirect Fluorescent Test. Triatomines were collected in 28.1% of the houses and 31.8% of the wild biotopes. Triatoma infestans (Klug 1834) was exclusively found indoors and T. cruzi infected 60% of them. Triatoma sordida (Stål 1859) was mainly found in extradomestic ecotopes where trypanosome infection rate reached 12.7%. Serological study of 98 local people showed that 29.6% were seroreactive; most of their houses were closed to wild biotopes colonized by T. sordida. Results indicate that there is an active T. infestans mediated transmission of Chagas disease in this zone that yields important human prevalence and that the populations of T. sordida in wild biotopes not only sustain the wild T. cruzi cycle but also represent an actual risk for people living in the area.