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Article: Chagas disease after organ transplantation--Los Angeles, California, 2006.
- Article from:
- MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
- Article date:
- July 28, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Chagas disease is an infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Reduviids (i.e., "kissing bugs") transmit the parasite through infected feces. T. cruzi also can be transmitted congenitally and through blood transfusion or organ transplantation. The infection is lifelong if left untreated; the majority of infected persons are asymptomatic, and their disease remains undiagnosed. Although routine serologic testing of organ and blood donors is performed in areas of Latin America where Chagas disease is endemic, no T. cruzi screening test is licensed in the United States. However, seroprevalence studies using research tests have documented the presence of T. cruzi ...