Table 6.
Autochthonous human cases of Chagas' disease in the United States
| Yr | State | Patient characteristics | Evidence of autochthonous transmission | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | TX | 10-mo-old girl, acute Chagas' disease, trypomastigotes on blood smear | Peridomestic infestation | 342 |
| 1955 | TX | 2- to 3-wk-old boy, no details provided | No details provided | 10 |
| 1982 | CA | 56-yr-old woman with acute Chagas' disease, trypomastigotes on blood smear | Adult uninfected T. protracta found in house | 203, 265 |
| 1983 | TX | 7-mo-old boy, fatal acute Chagas' disease with myocarditis and pericardial effusion, postmortem diagnosis based on nests of T. cruzi in cardiac tissue | No vectors found, but household search was made in winter; house said to be in poor condition | 209 |
| 1998 | TN | 18-mo-old boy, febrile illness several wk after bug was found, positive T. cruzi PCR in multiple blood specimens | T. cruzi-infected T sanguisuga found in child's crib | 134 |
| 2006 | LA | 74-yr-old woman with history of triatomine bites but no symptoms of Chagas' disease; positive IgG serology and T. cruzi hemoculture | Peridomestic and house T. sanguisuga infestation; 10/18 positive by T. cruzi PCR | 90 |
| 2006 | TX | 12-mo-old boy with fever, large pericardial effusion and respiratory distress; trypomastigotes by microscopy in pericardial fluid | Mother uninfected; T. cruzi-infected T. gerstaeckeri collected near house | 151; CDC, unpublished data |