AUTHOR=Herrera Leidi 

TITLE=Trypanosoma cruzi, the Causal Agent of Chagas Disease: Boundaries between Wild and Domestic Cycles in Venezuela

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=2

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00259

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2014.00259

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Trypanosoma cruzi</italic> the etiological agent of American Trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease (ChD) is transmitted by triatomines vectors between mammals including man. <italic>T. cruzi</italic> has existed for <italic>circa</italic> 150 Ma in the Americas and nearly 10 million people are currently infected. The overlap between wild and domestic ecotopes where <italic>T. cruzi</italic> circulates is increasing. Host–parasite interactions have been determined by infection patterns in these cycles, all under natural or laboratorial conditions. This mini-review describes specific parasite niches, such as plant communities or biological corridors between domestic and wild landscapes, in order to help identify risk factors for ChD and define the boundaries between wild and domestic transmission cycles, with an emphasis on research undertaken in Venezuela.</p>