Case report: Evidence of Autochthonous chagas disease in Southeastern Texas

Melissa N. Garcia, David Aguilar, Rodion Gorchakov, Susan N. Rossmann, Susan P. Montgomery, Hilda Rivera, Laila Woc-Colburn, Peter J. Hotez, Kristy O. Murray

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

102 Scopus citations

Abstract

Autochthonous transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in the United States is rarely reported. Here, we describe five newly identified patients with autochthonously acquired infections from a small pilot study of positive blood donors in southeast Texas. Case-patients 1-4 were possibly infected near their residences, which were all in the same region ∼100 miles west of Houston. Case-patient 5 was a young male with considerable exposure from routine outdoor and camping activities associated with a youth civic organization. Only one of the five autochthonous case-patients received anti-parasitic treatment. Our findings suggest an unrecognized risk of human vector-borne transmission in southeast Texas. Education of physicians and public health officials is crucial for identifying the true disease burden and source of infection in Texas.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)325-330
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume92
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2015 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Parasitology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Virology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Case report: Evidence of Autochthonous chagas disease in Southeastern Texas'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this