OBJECTIVES:

To report the palm trees infestation by Rhodnius neglectus in urban areas and to verify factors associated with this infestation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A descriptive ecological study was conducted in the municipalities of Araçatuba, Birigui, Guararapes, and Piacatu, located in São Paulo State, Brazil. Secondary data from entomological research carried out from 2014 to 2019 were extracted from the Chagas Disease Control Program of the Superintendence for Endemic Control database. For 2020, municipal health teams and researchers generated the information from searches in loco. Palm trees in all municipalities were researched, evaluated, and received pruning and chemical control when required. The infested palms of Araçatuba were categorized, and in those highly infested, their characteristics were verified and compared with others located in their surroundings. The triatomines were examined for natural infection, and their feeding habits were verified using the ELISA technique.

RESULTS:

Of the 3,011 palm trees analyzed, 743 were positive, and 6,815 specimens of R. neglectus were captured. The categorization of the highly infested Araçatuba palms showed that they were the Roystonea oleracea (imperial palm) species, with an average height of 17.5 m and a dense canopy. Feeding habit tests resulted in reagents for bird (4.0%), rodent (4.0%), human (2.0%), dog (1.0%), and cat (1.0%).

CONCLUSION:

R. neglectus settled in an urban area, finding palm trees an ideal ecotope for its development.