title: Potential novel risk factors for autochthonous and sylvatic transmission of human Chagas disease in the United States.
abstract: Chagas disease is an emerging vector-borne disease in the United States that causes progressive dilated cardiomyopathy in a third of infected humans. While transmission studies have been performed in Latin America, little is known about the source of infection in locally acquired cases in the United States. This letter describes the underlying factors possibly leading to an increased risk of disease transmission among high-risk groups in the United States.
authors.affiliation: Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, 1102 Bates Avenue #550, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. mnolan@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hotez
authors.forename: Kristy O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D011998:Recreation; D012307:Risk Factors; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology