Chagas disease (CD) is a zoonotic infection caused by blood sucking Trypanosoma cruzi—a parasite that infects over 6 million people in the Americas, including at least 300,000 in the United States. Transmission can also occur via blood transfusions, organ transplants, or via mother-to-child transmission. Antitrypanosomal drugs given early can cure the disease, but CD that is left untreated often leads to heart failure. Since the infection may be asymptomatic, many cases of CD are not treated. In the United States, less than 1% of infected individuals have been diagnosed and treated. Since family members of infected individuals often share risk factors for CD, researchers in Los Angeles assessed the prevalence of CD among 189 family members of 86 infected blood donors. Overall, 7.4% (14/189) of these family members were positive for CD. Although blood donations have been screened for CD in the US since 2007, further screening of family members of infected donors may be beneficial in identifying new cases.
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