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Background: Vectorial transmission through hematophagous triatomine insects remains the primary mode of Chagas Disease contagion. These insects have become increasingly common in urban environments. Therefore, this study aimed to report an encounter of triatomines with trypanosomatid infection in a vertical residential condominium in Rio Branco, the capital of the state of Acre, in the western Brazilian Amazon., Methods: Triatomines were collected from residents and sent to the municipality's Entomological Surveillance sector. Trypanosomatid positivity was evaluated using optical microscopy, followed by species and genotype identification using molecular biology techniques., Results: Twenty-five adult triatomine specimens were collected from two of three condominium buildings invading apartments from the 2nd to 13th floors. Six specimens were identified as Rhodnius sp. and 19 as R. montenegrensis. Among these, molecular tests were conducted on seven specimens, with five testing positive for Trypanosoma cruzi, all belonging to genotype TcI., Conclusions: These findings underscore the need for further studies to better understand the invasive capacity of these insects in these environments and the mechanisms involved in this process.

Chagas disease (CD) is a typical tropical illness caused by Trypanosoma cruzi . The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of Chagas disease in communities in two states of the Brazilian Amazon. Data collection occurred in July in the Alto Juruá region of Acre and in December in the communities of Humaitá, Amazonas, in 2019. A total of 477 participants were included in the study. In the communities of Alto Juruá, triatomine collections and analyses of T. cruzi infection were also carried out. All confirmed cases were found in the state of Acre, resulting in a total prevalence of 1.67. Of these eight cases, seven underwent ECG, all of which were concluded as normal by the physician team's cardiologists. Seventeen triatomine bugs, all belonging to the Rhodnius genus, were captured. The natural infection rate by T. cruzi was 25% in the Nova Cintra community and 66.67% in the Boca do Moa community (Alto Juruá). This research found that more than 1% of the studied population exhibited positive serological results for Chagas disease in the riverine communities during the study period, representing a small portion of cases among those who have not yet been diagnosed.

Triatomines are hematophagous insects of epidemiological importance as they are vectors of Chagas disease. The first report of Rhodnius stali Lent, Jurberg & Galvão, 1993 in Rondônia, Brazil, is described. The insects were captured on palm trees of the genus Oenocarpus sp. Two adult male specimens of R. stali were identified and were found to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli . The confirmation of this Rhodnius species in Rondônia increases the number of triatomines from nine to ten species in this state., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Fungi exhibit three adverse effects on human health: inflammatory, allergic and toxic effects, these implications affect mainly immunodepressed patients. The objective of this work was to analyze the fungal microbiota of the ambient air of an Intensive Care Unit. Three collections were carried out in an Intensive Care Unit in the city of Rio Branco, Acre, Western Amazon, Brazil from March to May 2017. 126 Petri dishes were exposed with the culture medium Agar Sabouraud with chloramphenicol and Agar Mycosel, considering the distribution of the 21 air conditioners, split residential model. The plates were incubated for seven days at room temperature and the growth of Colony Forming Units was observed. Colony counting and isolation for the morphological characterization of the granted fungi was performed. After quantification, the concentration of fungi per cubic meters of air (CFU.m-3) was settled. The third collection had a larger number of colony forming units with 48.6%. In the total of the analyzed samples, filamentous fungi (85.5%) and yeasts (14.5%) were isolated. Thirteen genera of fungi were identified, with the most frequent filaments being Cladosporium spp. 33.0%, Aspergillus spp. 30.4% and Penicillium spp. 19.6%, and yeasts Candida spp. 52.6%, Trichosporon spp. 36.9%. The colony-forming unit per cubic meter (CFU.m-3) did not shown any difference between the Cores in the same collection period, however in the 1st and 3rd collection, Core 1 had the highest average. The fungal microbiota of this Unit presented thirteen different genera potentially pathogenic, revealing the need for monitoring microorganisms and prevention actions.

Background: Maternal mortality is a significant public health concern, with varying impacts across different regions in Brazil, particularly affecting women from lower-income social classes with limited access to social resources. The aim of this study is to describe the trends in maternal mortality in São Paulo, Brazil, from 2009 to 2019., Materials and Methods: This study employed an ecological approach utilizing a time-series design to examine maternal deaths. Secondary data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the Live Births Information System (SINASC) from 2009 to 2019 were utilized. The analysis included all maternal deaths among women aged 10 to 49 years residing in the state of São Paulo. Time-series data for maternal mortality ratios were constructed for the seven regions within São Paulo State. Joinpoint regression analysis was applied to characterize the maternal mortality ratio. The study estimated the annual percentage variation, the average annual percentage variation, and their respective 95% confidence intervals., Results: In São Paulo, a total of 3075 maternal deaths were reported, resulting in a mortality ratio of 45.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. The leading causes of maternal death were eclampsia (7.13%), gestational hypertension (6.09%), and postpartum hemorrhage (5.89%). The analysis of the annual percentage change in the maternal mortality ratio for São Paulo State and its six clusters showed stationarity., Conclusions: The assessment of the maternal mortality ratio in the state of São Paulo, Greater São Paulo, and Baixada Santista revealed an increase in the maternal death ratio over the studied period.

Background: Triatomines infest atypical public spaces in the Western Amazon., Methods: Frequent visitors to these spaces captured the insects in the state of Acre, Brazil (Rio Branco and Cruzeiro do Sul)., Results: Six insects were found in a penitentiary, a church, a school, a university, a hospital, and a health center. Five of the insects were adults (three positive for Trypanosoma cruzi) and one was a nymph., Conclusions: This is the first report of triatomine occurrence in schools or churches. These data are important for implementing surveillance strategies and alerting individuals about possible changes in Chagas disease transmission dynamics.

Background: The subfamily Triatominae, which comprises 157 species, carries the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease. This short communication reports for the first time the occurrence of Rhodnius montenegrensis in Bolivia., Methods: Active searches were carried out on palm trees of the genus Oenocarpus in Beni district, Bolivia., Results: Fifteen R. montenegrensis specimens were collected from a rural area of the Beni district, Bolivia, and tested positive for T. cruzi., Conclusions: This new report expands the geographic distribution of the species in Latin America. Due to their ability to transmit trypanosomatids, the species deserves the attention of vector control programs.

This is an ecological and time-series study using secondary data on perinatal mortality and its components from 2008 to 2017 in Espírito Santo, Brazil. The data were collected from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and Live Births Information System (SINASC) of the Unified Health System Informatics Department (DATASUS) in June 2019. The perinatal mortality rate (×1000 total births) was calculated. Time series were constructed from the perinatal mortality rate for the regions and Espírito Santo. To analyze the trend, the Prais-Winsten model was used. From 2008 to 2017 there were 8132 perinatal deaths (4939 fetal and 3193 early neonatal) out of a total of 542,802 births, a perinatal mortality rate of 15.0/1000 total births. The fetal/early neonatal ratio was 1.5:1, with a strong positive correlation early neonatal mortality rate, perinatal mortality rate, r (9) = 0.8893, with a significance level of p = 0.000574. The presence of differences in trends by health region was observed. Risk factors that stood out were as follows: mother's age ranging between 10 and 19 or 40 and 49 years old, with no education, a gestational age between 22 and 36 weeks, triple and double pregnancy, and a birth weight below 2499 g. Among the causes of death, 49.70% of deaths were concentrated in category of the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases, fetuses and newborns affected by maternal factors and complications of pregnancy, labor, and delivery (P00-P04), and 11.03% were in the category of intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia (P20-P21), both related to proper care during pregnancy and childbirth. We observed a slow reduction in the perinatal mortality rate in the state of Espírito Santo from 2008 to 2017.

Introduction: This study describes the occurrence of triatomines, and their positivity for trypanosomatids, in a residential complex in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil., Methods: Triatomines were collected through direct capture in a home environment. Positivity analysis for trypanosomatids was performed by PCR assays., Results: Collected insects consisted of 31 Rhodnius robustus, 4 Rhodnius montenegrensis, and 1 Panstrongylus geniculatus specimens. All were adults, with no presence of domiciliation, and with an infection rate of 30.6%., Conclusions: Future studies are recommended in other locations of Rio Branco in order to develop a georeference database of the occurrence of triatomines in urban areas.

Introduction: This study aimed to confirm the occurrence of Panstrongylus rufotuberculatus in the state of Acre, Brazil., Methods: The four specimens of P. rufotuberculatus were obtained from the entomological collection of the Zoobotanical Park of the Federal University of Acre (UFAC)., Results: Confirmation of the occurrence of this species in the state of Acre increases the number of species already registered, from nine to ten., Conclusions: The necessity to develop further studies was verified, especially with the domiciliary process of P. rufotuberculatus, resulting in tracing prophylactic measures against the vector transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Introduction: This communication reports the first occurrence of Panstrongylus lignarius in the State of Acre, Brazil., Methods: A specimen of P. lignarius was collected from a residence in a rural area of the municipality of Rio Branco, Acre, Western Amazon., Results: This new report of P. lignarius extends the distribution of this species to eight Brazilian states, and also increases the number of species of Triatominae described from the state of Acre from nine to ten., Conclusions: The occurrence of P. lignarius deserves attention, since this species has the potential for domiciliation and transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi.

Introduction: Rhodnius stali infection by Trypanosoma rangeli is reported in this study for the first time., Methods: The triatomines were collected from the campus of the Federal University of Acre in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. The identification of T. rangeli was confirmed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction., Results: The examinations of two specimens revealed R. stali infection by the epimastigote forms of T. rangeli., Conclusions: The encounter of R. stali infected by T. rangeli generates an alert for the state of Acre, since the simultaneous presence with Trypanosoma cruzi can make the differential diagnosis of Chagas disease difficult.