CDC releases details on Chagas, an emerging disease in the U.S. Midwest and South that’s spread by blood

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is shining a spotlight on a disease that could become endemic in the United States, if not already.

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is caused by the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi , or T. cruzi, which is commonly spread through contact with the feces of infected triatomine insects, or “kissing bugs.”

The blood-sucking bug has been identified in 32 states, mostly in the Midwest and Southern regions of the U.S. They usually feed on blood during the night, when animals or people are asleep or inactive. They are called kissing bugs because they sometimes bite people on the face.

Autochthonous human T. cruzi infections have been identified in 8 states: California, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, L