RESUMEN
In order to investigate aspects of the infection and morbidity of Chagas' disease in the municipality of JoÒo Costa, PiauÝ State, Brazil, we carried out a serological survey to detect anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in 2,080 individuals, by indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemagglutination and ELISA. A total of 189 seropositive and 141 seronegative patients were evaluated by anamnesis, physical exam and electrocardiogram (EKG). The parasitaemia of 106 chagasic patients was evaluated by indirect xenodiagnosis and PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The total seropositivity was 9.8, with intervals of 0.5 in patients younger than 10 years old, and 39.4 among patients older than 59 years old, independently of the sex. The PCR and xenodiagnosis were positive, respectively in 74.5 and 15.1 of the seropositive patients (p < 0.05). The rate of abnormal EKG was 41.3 in chagasic and 15.6 in non-chagasic patients (p < 0.05). In spite of the high prevalence of infection in the investigated population, the low rate of seropositivity among children is indicative of a possible decrease of the active transmission mediated by triatomines. The high proportion of the chagasic component on the cardiopathy prevalence is indicative of the high morbidity of Chagas' disease in the studied region.