Update on Chagas Heart Disease on the First Centennial of Its Discovery

In 1909 Carlos Chagas discovered a new parasite, the Trypanosoma cruzi (T cruzi) and described, in greater detail, its cycle of transmission (vector, hosts) and the acute clinical manifestations of the first human case of the disease that bears his name.1 A few years later, the main clinical form of this new morbid entity—Chagas heart disease—was fully characterized.2 Paleoparasitology studies allowing the recovery of T cruzi DNA from human mummies indicate that Chagas disease already afflicted mankind as early as 9000 years ago.3 Of note, in 2009, we also celebrated the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Darwin, who may have contracted Chagas disease during his expedition to South America, as suggested by his vivid description of suffering the triatomine sting and by some of his late life symptoms.4