Johns Hopkins ABX Guide
Trypanosoma cruzi
MICROBIOLOGY
- Trypanosoma cruzi, a hemoflagellate protozoan, causes American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease).
- Transmission occurs when triatomine feces contaminate the bite site or mucosal surfaces (not via the bite itself).
- Species Rhodnius or triatomine bug, [Fig 1].
- Enzootic transmission occurs in the southern U.S., with infected triatomines and mammalian reservoirs (especially dogs and wildlife); autochthonous human cases are rare but increasingly recognized.
- Texas is seeing the largest number of autochthonous human T. cruzi infections.
- Risk factors included: rural residence, history of hunting or camping, and agricultural or outdoor work.
- Canines are an important domestic reservoir and sentinel species; direct contribution to human transmission is inferred but not well quantified[3].
- See the Life cycle.
- Transmission occurs when triatomine feces contaminate the bite site or mucosal surfaces (not via the bite itself).
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Last updated: May 9, 2026
Citation
Fabre, Valeria. "Trypanosoma Cruzi." Johns Hopkins ABX Guide, The Johns Hopkins University, 2026. Pediatrics Central, peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540113/3.3/Trypanosoma_cruzi.
Fabre V. Trypanosoma cruzi. Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2026. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540113/3.3/Trypanosoma_cruzi. Accessed May 15, 2026.
Fabre, V. (2026). Trypanosoma cruzi. In Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University. https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540113/3.3/Trypanosoma_cruzi
Fabre V. Trypanosoma Cruzi [Internet]. In: Johns Hopkins ABX Guide. The Johns Hopkins University; 2026. [cited 2026 May 15]. Available from: https://peds.unboundmedicine.com/pedscentral/view/Johns_Hopkins_ABX_Guide/540113/3.3/Trypanosoma_cruzi.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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PB - The Johns Hopkins University
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