A scoping review of triatomine control for Chagas disease prevention: current and developing tools in Latin America and the United States

Abstract

Chagas disease is an infectious disease of human and animal health concern, with 6–8 million chronic human infections and over 50,000 deaths throughout the Americas annually. Hematophagous insects of the subfamily Triatominae, also called kissing bugs, vector the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae), that causes Chagas disease. Despite the large human health burden, Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease with inadequate funding for research and preventive practices. Given the resource-poor environment of most agencies trying to protect public health, it is critical to consider all control options for reducing vector populations and the risk of human exposure to T. cruzi to identify the most appropriate tools for each context. While numerous triatomine control methods exist, the literature lacks a compilation of the strategies used, a critical examination of their efficiency, and a particular focus on triatomine control in the United States compared to elsewhere in the Americas. Here, we present a review of the literature to assess historical intervention strategies of existing and developing triatomine control methods. For each method, we discuss progress in the field, future research to further advance the method, and limitations. While we found that pyrethroid insecticide is still the most commonly used method of triatomine and Chagas disease control, we suggest that complementing these techniques with alternative control methods in development will help to achieve Chagas disease reduction goals.