Chagas disease

name: Chagas disease
creation_date: '2026-01-26T15:56:41Z'
updated_date: '2026-01-26T15:56:41Z'
category: Infectious Disease
description: >-
  Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is a vector-borne protozoal infection
  caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted by triatomine insects, with an
  intracellular amastigote phase in human tissues and chronic cardiac morbidity.
disease_term:
  term:
    id: MONDO:0001444
    label: Chagas disease
  preferred_term: Chagas disease
parents:
- Neglected tropical disease
- Protozoal infection
infectious_agent:
- name: Trypanosoma cruzi
  infectious_agent_term:
    preferred_term: Trypanosoma cruzi
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:5693
      label: Trypanosoma cruzi
  description: Kinetoplastid protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:34207491
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Chagas disease is caused by the kinetoplastid parasite Trypanosoma cruzi"
    explanation: The review identifies Trypanosoma cruzi as the causative agent.
agent_life_cycle:
  description: Trypanosoma cruzi alternates between triatomine insect vectors and mammalian hosts.
  hosts:
  - preferred_term: human
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:9606
      label: Homo sapiens
    role: definitive host
  - preferred_term: triatomine bug
    term:
      id: NCBITaxon:70999
      label: Triatominae
    role: intermediate host
  vectors:
  - triatomine bugs (Triatominae)
  life_cycle_stages:
  - name: Epimastigote stage in triatomine vectors
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000223
        label: Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigote stage
    description: Epimastigotes are the non-infective forms in triatomine vectors.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:28919885
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "Epimastigotes, the non-infective form of the parasite, present in triatomine arthropod vectors"
      explanation: The abstract locates epimastigotes in triatomine vectors.
  - name: Metacyclic trypomastigote stage in vector feces
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000131
        label: Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigote stage
    description: Metacyclic trypomastigotes in triatomine feces initiate infection.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:18512345
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "infected triatomines release in their feces highly motile and infective metacyclic trypomastigotes that may initiate infection"
      explanation: The abstract describes infective metacyclic trypomastigotes released in vector feces.
  - name: Bloodstream trypomastigote stage
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000169
        label: Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigote stage
    description: Trypomastigotes circulate in host blood as infective forms.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:28919885
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "trypomastigotes, the infective form, present in host bloodstream"
      explanation: The abstract identifies trypomastigotes in host bloodstream.
  - name: Intracellular amastigote stage
    life_cycle_stage_term:
      preferred_term: Trypanosoma cruzi amastigote stage
      term:
        id: OPL:0000064
        label: Trypanosoma cruzi amastigote stage
    description: Amastigotes differentiate in host cells and replicate by binary fission.
    evidence:
    - reference: PMID:18512345
      supports: SUPPORT
      snippet: "differentiate into amastigotes that replicate by binary fission"
      explanation: The abstract reports amastigote differentiation and replication in host cells.
transmission:
- name: Triatomine fecal contamination during blood feeding
  description: Infected triatomines release metacyclic trypomastigotes in feces during blood meals.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:18512345
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "While feeding on host's blood, infected triatomines release in their feces highly motile and infective metacyclic trypomastigotes that may initiate infection."
    explanation: The abstract links transmission to triatomine blood feeding and fecal contamination.
pathophysiology:
- name: Intracellular amastigote replication in host cells
  description: Metacyclic trypomastigotes invade host cells and differentiate into amastigotes that proliferate intracellularly.
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:18512345
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Metacyclic trypomastigotes promptly invade host cells (including gastric mucosa) and once free in the cytoplasm, differentiate into amastigotes that replicate by binary fission."
    explanation: The abstract describes intracellular invasion and amastigote replication.
phenotypes:
- name: Cardiomyopathy
  category: Cardiovascular
  frequency: OCCASIONAL
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Cardiomyopathy
    term:
      id: HP:0001638
      label: Cardiomyopathy
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:28284779
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC) is one of the chronic manifestations of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection"
    explanation: The abstract identifies cardiomyopathy as a chronic manifestation of Chagas disease.
- name: Heart failure
  category: Cardiovascular
  frequency: OCCASIONAL
  phenotype_term:
    preferred_term: Congestive heart failure
    term:
      id: HP:0001635
      label: Congestive heart failure
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:28284779
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Chagas etiology of heart failure has become the third most common indication for HT in South America."
    explanation: The abstract links Chagas disease to heart failure requiring transplantation.
treatments:
- name: Benznidazole or nifurtimox therapy
  description: Antitrypanosomal therapy for Chagas disease.
  treatment_term:
    preferred_term: pharmacotherapy
    term:
      id: MAXO:0000058
      label: pharmacotherapy
  evidence:
  - reference: PMID:30111183
    supports: SUPPORT
    snippet: "Currently, only benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox are recognized by the World Health Organization as effective drugs for treatment of CD."
    explanation: The review lists benznidazole and nifurtimox as WHO-recognized therapies.