Review Article Background

The protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease and is the most important parasite in Latin America, infecting 10 million people.1 Throughout endemic regions, it is a leading cause of premature heart disease. The parasite is spread primarily by blood-sucking triatomine bugs, although other means of transmission include the con-genital route, contaminated food and drink, organ trans-plantation, and blood transfusion. Due to increased mobility and migration, the disease is also appearing in nonendemic regions. There are estimated to be 300,000 infected indi-viduals in the United States2 and 80,000 in Europe.3 Chagas disease can be divided into distinct stages. The “acute ” stage is usually relatively mild and often undiagnosed. In children, the infection can be more severe, presenting as a febrile illness, with death from meningoencephalitis or myo