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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
13:55
Sexual Transmission of American Trypanosomes from Males and Females to Naive Mates
Published on: January 27, 2019
Transfusion-acquired Trypanosoma cruzi infection
Carolyn Young1, Phyllis Losikoff, Anjulika Chawla
1Rhode Island Blood Center, Brown University, Hasbro Children's Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island 02908, USA. carolyn.young@ribc.org
Transfusion
|February 27, 2007
Summary
A child receiving blood transfusions contracted Chagas disease (caused by Trypanosoma cruzi) from a donor. This case highlights transfusion-transmitted infections and the need for Chagas disease screening in the US.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Transfusion Medicine
- Parasitology
Background:
- A pediatric patient with Stage 4 neuroblastoma received multiple blood transfusions.
- The patient was subsequently diagnosed with Chagas disease, a parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi.
Observation:
- Blood donors of transfused units were tested for Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies.
- One first-time donor, an immigrant from Bolivia residing in the US for 17 years, tested positive for T. cruzi antibodies.
Findings:
- This represents the seventh reported case of Chagas disease transmission via blood transfusion in the US and Canada.
- The case occurred in New England, an area not typically associated with Chagas disease prevalence.
Implications:
- Demonstrates the risk of transfusion-acquired infections, influenced by patient immune status.
- Underscores the role of geographic mobility in the transmission of neglected tropical diseases.
- Emphasizes the critical need for a licensed screening test for Chagas disease in the US blood supply.
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