analysis of cockroach fauna and frequency in human residential habitats of north of isfahan, iran

aims: considering the medical significance of cockroaches as insect vectors of food toxicities, and triggering allergy in respiratory system and skin, this survey was conducted to study the frequency of infestation and their effective factors in shahin shahr, iran. materials & methods: this cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 2010 in shahin shahr, isfahan, iran. data gathering instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire regarding to the research aims. data were analyzed by spss 11.5 software using chi square and fisher exact tests. findings: 675 of 1000 studied houses (67.5%) were infested by all life stages of the cockroaches and 32.5% had no infestation. 46% of infested houses had few, 30% had medium and 24% had high infestation. the bathrooms and toilets were recognized as the most infested places (41%). there were significant relationships between infestation of houses and the age of building (p<0.001), the type of building (p=0.009) and the education level of the family (p<0.001). significant difference was found between houses equipped their doors and windows by tulles and without tulles (p=0.03). most infection was found in houses sheltering 5 and more people (72.3%). significant correlation was found between the infection and the number of family members (p=0.0012). conclusion: infestation rate of cockroaches in shahin shahr houses is high and is mostly of p. americana species.