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.

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Last updated: July 4, 2022