Chagas disease transmission routes

Actually, in some South American regions (e.g., the Brazilian Amazon), T. cruzi infection by oral route is the most important mode of Chagas disease transmission. 

VIII. TRANSMISSION OF CHAGAS DISEASE BY THE ORAL ROUTE IN HUMANS... 

The importance of transmission via the oral route has long been known in the case of susceptible omnivorous or insectivorous animals, which feed on vector insects and infected animal reservoirs (Dias, 2006 Neto et ah, 2000). Some authors consider the possibility that Carlos Chagas, in his first study together with Oswaldo Cruz, played an important role in the first demonstrated case of oral transmission of Chagas disease. Marmosets (C. penicillata) were placed in cages together with insects infected by the parasite, and also acquired the parasite. It is now known that transmission to these animals by insect bites is rare, and, at the time of the experiment, no entrance points were found on the animals thus, the hypothesis of ingestion of the insects by the marmosets cannot be discarded (Coura, 1997 Dias, 2006). 

In 2007 and 2008, in Brazil, the number of acute Chagas disease cases was 161 and 123, respectively, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In 2009, with still incomplete reporting, 11 cases were registered (SVS, 2009). Most of them occurred in the Amazon region and involved transmission by the oral route. 

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