   chagas disease , or american trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the protozoan trypanosoma cruzi. it is spread mostly by insects known as triatominae or kissing bugs. the symptoms change over the course of the infection. in the early stage, symptoms are typically either not present or mild and may include: fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, or local swelling at the site of the bite. after 8â12 weeks, individuals enter the chronic phase of disease and in 60â70% it never produces further symptoms. the other 30 to 40% of people develop further symptoms 10 to 30 years after the initial infection. this includes enlargement of the ventricles of the heart in 20 to 30% leading to heart failure. an enlarged esophagus or an enlarged colon may also occur in 10% of people. t. cruzi is commonly spread to humans and other mammals by the blood-sucking "kissing bugs" of the subfamily triatominae. these insects are known by a number of local names, including: vinchuca in argentina, bolivia, chile and paraguay, barbeiro (the barber) in brazil, pito in colombia, chinche in central america, and chipo in venezuela. the disease may also be spread through blood transfusion, organ transplantation, eating food contaminated with the parasites, and from a mother to her fetus. diagnosis of early disease is by finding the parasite in the blood using a microscope. chronic disease is diagnosed by finding antibodies for t. cruzi in the blood. prevention mostly involves eliminating kissing bugs and avoiding their bites. other preventative efforts include screening blood used for transfusions. a vaccine has not been developed as of 2013. early infections ar
Insect-borne_diseases Neglected_diseases Parasitic_infestations,_stings,_and_bites_of_the_skin Protozoal_diseases Tropical_diseases Zoonoses