Trypanosomiasis, american
Epidemiology
- Chagas disease is found in rural areas of Latin American countries due to sociocultural factors (housing, poverty, hygiene)
- The kissing bugs (Triatoma sp.) become infected when they feed on a parasitaemic human or animal
- Infection of humans is by bite of infected bugs or via blood transfusion
- Reservoirs are humans and over 150 species of domestic and wild animals (they can become infected by ingestion of infected bugs!)