Chagas is a poorly understood and potentially lethal disease. In the U.S., it primarily affects people who have immigrated from Latin America, but researchers are discovering locally acquired cases in multiple states. Chagas disease is caused by a microscopic parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, and it is passed primarily through the feces of kissing bugs, nuisance blood-sucking insects that can invade our homes.
University of Florida researchers at the Emerging Pathogens Institute are screening people most at risk of Chagas in Florida to uncover undiagnosed cases. An estimated 300,000 people are living with Chagas disease in the U.S., but fewer than 1% have been diagnosed. Florida, home to both the kissing bug and T. cruzi, is thought to have the third-highest number of people living with chronic Chagas, behind California and Texas. Nearly 30% of Florida kissing bugs tested by UF researchers carry the parasite that causes Chagas disease. More than 50% of Florida opossums and about 40% of raccoons tested by the team also have the parasite, suggesting they, too, may play a role in the disease’s transmission.
Want to learn more? Find out more about Chagas and kissing bugs by visiting our website to read the article, “Racing to diagnose Chagas disease, a silent killer in Florida.” epi.ufl.edu/2023/07/05/racing....
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