title: Evidence of autochthonous Chagas disease in southeastern Texas.
abstract: Autochthonous transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi in the United States is rarely reported. Here, we describe five newly identified patients with autochthonously acquired infections from a small pilot study of positive blood donors in southeast Texas. Case-patients 1-4 were possibly infected near their residences, which were all in the same region ∼100 miles west of Houston. Case-patient 5 was a young male with considerable exposure from routine outdoor and camping activities associated with a youth civic organization. Only one of the five autochthonous case-patients received anti-parasitic treatment. Our findings suggest an unrecognized risk of human vector-borne transmission in southeast Texas. Education of physicians and public health officials is crucial for identifying the true disease burden and source of infection in Texas.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia mnolan@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Rodion
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gorchakov
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Susan N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Rossmann
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Susan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Hilda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Woc-Colburn
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Hotez
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Section of Tropical Medicine, Houston, Texas; Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, Houston, Texas; Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center, Houston, Texas; United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Kristy O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001782:Blood Donors; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D013781:Texas / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult