Chagas disease

Chagas disease is a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis. It is common in Central and South America.

Carlos Chagas first described it in 1909. Humans are usually infected because they are bitten by a blood-sucking bug of the subfamily Triatominae. The disease can also be spread by blood transfusion, organ transplantation, or by eating food contaminated with the parasite. Pregnant women may spread it to the fetus.

The disease has four stages. It can be cured by anti-parasitic drugs. Between eight and eleven million people may suffer from the disease, but many do not know they are infected. Strategies of controlling the disease are mostly focused on eliminating the insect vector, and on preventing contamination from other sources.

Chagas Disease Media

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  An acute Chagas disease infection with swelling of the right eye (Romaña's sign)

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  Life cycle and transmission of T. cruzi

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  Triatoma infestans, a common vector of T. cruzi

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  Large scale anatomy of a heart damaged by chronic Chagas disease

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  T. cruzi trypomastigotes seen in a blood smear

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  Bed nets can be used in endemic areas to prevent bites from triatomine bugs.

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  A bottle of nifurtimox tablets

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  Epidemiology of Chagas disease circa 2011: red is endemic countries where spread is through vectors; yellow is endemic countries where spread is occasionally through vectors; blue is non-endemic countries where spread is through blood transfusions and migration.

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  Disability-adjusted life years due to Chagas disease in 2016. Grey indicates no data. Otherwise, colors get increasingly dark red for each order of magnitude increase in DALY burden: 0, white. Up to 1,000 DALYs, yellow. 1,001 to 10,000 DALYs, orange. 10,001 to 100,000 DALYs, light red. Greater than 100,000 DALYs, dark red.

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  Carlos Chagas, in his laboratory at Instituto Oswaldo Cruz