Trypanosoma cruzi
Kissing bug parasite
Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protozoan that causes Chagas disease, transmitted to humans through the feces of infected "kissing bugs" that bite the face during sleep.
The parasite can also spread through contaminated blood transfusions, organ transplants, or from mother to child.
Endemic to Latin America, T. cruzi infection can cause severe heart and digestive complications years after initial exposure.
- Latin AmericaRomance-speaking Western Hemisphere
- protozoaSingle-celled eukaryotic organisms
- megacolonPathological intestinal dilation
- oral transmissionConveying through speech
- kissing bugsParasitic insects spreading Chagas
cardiomyopathy · zoonosis · chronic infection · South America · Central America · parasites · flagellates · Brazil · fever · blood · tropical · vector · silent · swelling · endemic · chronic · acute phase · heart
- Blood ParasitesBabesia, Trypanosoma brucei
- TrypanosomesTrypanosoma brucei, flagellum, undulating membrane
causal agent of disease
Trypanosoma cruziTrypanosoma brucei
pathogenic vs non-pathogenic organisms
Trypanosoma cruziprobiotics
Live microorganisms aiding digestion