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Case Reports
. 2015 Feb;92(2):325-30.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0238. Epub 2014 Nov 4.

Evidence of autochthonous Chagas disease in southeastern Texas

Melissa N Garcia  1 , David Aguilar  2 , Rodion Gorchakov  2 , Susan N Rossmann  2 , Susan P Montgomery  2 , Hilda Rivera  2 , Laila Woc-Colburn  2 , Peter J Hotez  2 , Kristy O Murray  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Evidence of autochthonous Chagas disease in southeastern Texas

Melissa N Garcia et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Feb.

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.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
County of birth, county of current residence, and county of additional locations of importance by case-patient report numbers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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