[Seroprevalence of Chagas infection among inhabitants of municipalities in the Botucatu region, State of São Paulo].

The aim of this study was to look for evidence of vector transmission of Chagas disease, in and around the homes of individuals living in municipalities in the Botucatu region who presented a positive xenodiagnosis. Fifty-eight subjects were studied and blood samples were collected from them for laboratory analysis. The results from this study showed that the individuals in both groups presented low formal education levels and had been working in unskilled professions There was a slight predominance of females. In comparison with previous conditions, it was observed that there had been a slight improvement in the subjects' housing conditions, but on the other hand there had been an increase in the numbers of individuals living in rural areas. Subjects born before 1983 presented statistically greater knowledge of and contact with triatomines than did those born from 1983 onwards. Analysis and comparison of the results from the serological tests, including indirect passive hemagglutination, indirect immunofluorescence and immunoenzymatic assay, showed that ELISA presented greatest sensitivity. The results from this study have shown that the population born from 1983 onwards did not know about the transmission vector for Chagas disease.