What Do You Need to Know before Studying Chagas Disease? A Beginner's Guide

Abstract

Chagas disease is one of the most important tropical infections in the world and mainly affects poor people. The causative agent is the hemoflagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, which circulates among insect vectors and mammals throughout the Americas. A large body of research on Chagas disease has shown the complexity of this zoonosis, and controlling it remains a challenge for public health systems. Although knowledge of Chagas disease has advanced greatly, there are still many gaps, and it is necessary to continue generating basic and applied research to create more effective control strategies. The aim of this review is to provide up-to-date information on the components of Chagas disease and highlight current trends in research. We hope that this review will be a starting point for beginners and facilitate the search for more specific information.

Keywords: Chagas disease; Trypanosoma cruzi; guide; reservoirs; triatomine.

Figure 1

The Trypanosoma cruzi parasite (in the intestine of the vector) is the causative agent of Chagas disease (scanning slectron microscope).

Figure 2

Kissing bug specimens, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi: (a) Triatoma barberi, (b) T. pallidipenis, and (c) T. imidiate.

Figure 3

Distribution of Chagas disease and the main triatomine vectors [15].

Figure 4

Life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi (modified from [15]).

Figure 5

Genetic classification of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Figure 6

Female and male specimens of T. pallidipenis. Note the differences in the posterior border.

Figure 7

Geographic distribution of triatomines based on reports of their occurrence in America. Each color represents the triatomines of a country (made by Ceccarreli et al. [69]).

Figure 8

Patients with Chagas disease have the Romaña sign, which is characteristic when the parasite enters through the conjunctiva (Prata [102]).