Suepaul Rod, Mohammed Azad, Gottdenker Nicole L, Oura Christopher, Ramsubhag Adesh, Tripathi Vrijesh, Khan Raveed, Peterson Jennifer K
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2025 Sep 2;119(9):999-1015. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/traf060.
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a vector-borne disease that can lead to serious cardiac alterations. The Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago (TT) is not considered Chagas endemic by major public health organizations, but Trinidad is home to six T. cruzi vector species as well as T. cruzi-infected vertebrate hosts, including humans. Here we present the most comprehensive assessment to date of Chagas disease in TT based on information from published literature, museum specimens, hospital and veterinary records and archival documents. Panstrongylus geniculatus is the most abundant and well-studied T. cruzi vector species in TT, where it is found in and around human homes with human blood meals and with T. cruzi infection prevalences >83%. Wildlife reservoirs of T. cruzi in TT include commonly hunted species, which may pose a risk of T. cruzi transmission during preparation or consumption of infected carcasses. Blood bank data from 2020 showed a 0.5% seropositivity rate for T. cruzi, which is higher than that reported for 13 Chagas-endemic countries. By presenting the entomological, ecological, epidemiological and clinical evidence in a single report, we aim to present what is known about Chagas disease on the island, identify knowledge gaps and pinpoint areas of future research and public health focus, with the goal of sending a call to action for increased attention to Chagas disease in TT.
恰加斯病由原生动物寄生虫克氏锥虫引起，是一种虫媒传播疾病，可导致严重的心脏病变。加勒比国家特立尼达和多巴哥（TT）不被主要公共卫生组织视为恰加斯病的地方流行区，但特立尼达有六种克氏锥虫病媒物种以及受克氏锥虫感染的脊椎动物宿主，包括人类。在此，我们根据已发表文献、博物馆标本、医院和兽医记录以及档案文件中的信息，呈现了迄今为止对特立尼达和多巴哥恰加斯病最全面的评估。膝状泛臀猎蝽是特立尼达和多巴哥最丰富且研究充分的克氏锥虫病媒物种，在人类住所及其周边地区被发现，吸食人血，克氏锥虫感染率>83%。特立尼达和多巴哥克氏锥虫的野生动物宿主包括常见的被捕猎物种，在处理或食用受感染的尸体时可能存在克氏锥虫传播风险。2020年血库数据显示克氏锥虫血清阳性率为0.5%，高于13个恰加斯病地方流行国家的报告率。通过在一份报告中呈现昆虫学、生态学、流行病学和临床证据，我们旨在展示该岛已知的恰加斯病情况，识别知识空白，确定未来研究和公共卫生重点领域，目标是发出行动呼吁，以提高对特立尼达和多巴哥恰加斯病的关注度。
