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Article: Autochthonous transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, Louisiana.(Disease/Disorder overview)
- Article from:
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Article date:
- April 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases. 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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Autochthonous transmission of the Chagas disease parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, was detected in a patient in rural New Orleans, Louisiana. The patient had positive test results from 2 serologic tests and hemoculture. Fifty-six percent of 18 Triatoma sanguisuga collected from the house of the positive for T. cruzi by PCR.
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Chagas disease is endemic in Latin America; 13 million people are infected with the causative agent, the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and 200,000 new cases are reported annually (1). Although Chagas disease occurs mostly as heart disease, megasyndrome (enlargement of the visceral organs) is also seen in patients in ...