Overview

• A perspective in Emerging Infectious Diseases from teams at Texas A&M, the University of Florida and Texas DSHS argues the parasite T. cruzi now maintains ongoing transmission in sections of the southern U.S.
• Locally acquired human infections have been documented in at least eight states, with Texas reporting the most cases and kissing bug vectors confirmed across 32 states.
• Field studies show substantial parasite presence in vectors and wildlife, including about one-third of sampled kissing bugs in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park and frequent detection in animals such as dogs, raccoons and skunks.
• CDC estimates about 280,000 people in the U.S. carry Chagas disease out of roughly 8 million worldwide, with California likely hosting 70,000–100,000 infections.
• Chagas is not nationally notifiable, leading to underdiagnosis and fragmented reporting—many U.S. detections occur through blood donor screening—while early antiparasitic treatment can be curative before chronic cardiac damage develops.