Chagas Disease in the Southeastern USA

Purpose of Review In this review, we provide an update on recent research surrounding Chagas disease in the southeastern USA. We identify current gaps in knowledge, suggest areas for future research, and provide short reports of previously unpublished work. Recent Findings Trypanosoma cruzi has a greater genetic diversity in the region than previously thought, including genotypes previously thought to be confined to South America. Paratriatoma lecticularia , a regional triatomine bug vector of T. cruzi , has undergone a genus-level reclassification. Deep sequencing technologies in T. cruzi genetics and blood meal analyses have shown promise as a method for examining complex ecological cycles. Fatal Chagas disease in imported exotic animals in Mississippi was identified, and the lack of record keeping of human Chagas disease cases in the region has been investigated finding that 94.8% of confirmed human Chagas cases voluntarily reported from blood banks were not recorded by any state or federal public health agency in the region. Additionally, an ecological framework for the kissing bug Triatoma sanguisuga as a nidicolous insect is proposed. Summary Recent investigations of T. cruzi and its insect vectors in the southeastern USA have furthered the understanding of this native vector-borne disease system in the region. New technologies and conceptual frameworks are generating new questions and routes of inquiry that may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of Chagas disease in the Southeast.