Vector Blood Meals and Chagas Disease Transmission Potential, United States

Abstract

A high proportion of triatomine insects, vectors for Trypanosoma cruzi trypanosomes, collected in Arizona and California and examined using a novel assay had fed on humans. Other triatomine insects were positive for T. cruzi parasite infection, which indicates that the potential exists for vector transmission of Chagas disease in the United States.

Keywords

• Chagas disease
• Triatominae
• Triatoma
• insect vectors
• feeding behavior
• United States