Chagas disease is a human infection that is caused by a microorganism that establishes a parasitic relationship with a human host as part of its life cycle. The disease is named for the Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who described in 1909 the involvement of the flagellated protozoan known as Trypanosoma cruzi in a prevalent disease in South America.

The disease is confined to North, South, and Central America. Reflecting this, and the similarity of the disease to trypanosomiasis, a disease that occurs on the African continent, Chagas disease has also been dubbed American trypanosomiasis. The disease affects some 16 to 18 million each year, mainly in Central and South American. Indeed, in these regions the prevalence of Chagas disease in the population is higher than that of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Hepatitis B and C viruses. Of those who acquire Chagas disease, approximately 50,000 people die each year...