Trypanosoma cruzi

Valeria Fabre, M.D.

MICROBIOLOGY

  • Protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi causes American trypanosomiasis (Chagas’ disease).
  • Transmitted in rural Latin America when feces of infected "kissing bug" (species Rhodnius or triatomine bug, [Fig 1]) inoculated through an insect bite wound or mucous membrane exposure.
  • Also present in zoonotic reservoirs/insect vectors in the southern U.S. but transmission to humans is rare.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.

© 2000–2025 Unbound Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved