Note: The acute form of Chagas disease lasts for several weeks to months and is marked by mild symptoms (such as fever, fatigue, or swelling at the infection site) or rarely by serious symptoms (such as myocarditis or meningoencephalitis) but is often asymptomatic. The acute form may sometimes progress years later to a chronic form characterized especially by cardiac and gastrointestinal complications (such as cardiomyopathy, irregular heart rhythm, and enlargement of the colon or esophagus).
The EconomistPhil Gunbycalled also American trypanosomiasis
Examples of Chagas disease in a Sentence
Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, can present in two phases, according to the CDC.
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Although kissing bugs have been identified in 32 states, Chagas disease has been considered nonendemic in the country, the CDC said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Additionally, if a family member has been diagnosed with Chagas disease, you should get tested.
—Greta Cross, Freep.com, 17 Sep. 2025
And the Texas Department of State Health Services reports that between 2013 and 2016, 91 cases of Chagas disease were reported.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
There are two antiparasitic drugs approved for the treatment of Chagas disease in the U.S. — Benznidazole and Lampit (nifurtimox).
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Another photo in this category (shown below) was made by researchers in Brazil who study the parasite that causes Chagas disease.
—Eva Amsen, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
The lab that demonstrated bedbugs’ potential as vectors of Chagas disease got the idea from a paragraph-long description of a study from 1912, says Michael Levy, an epidemiology professor at the University of Pennsylvania who led the 2014 study.
—Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Chagas disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Chagas%20disease. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Chagas disease
noun
Note: The acute form of Chagas disease lasts for several weeks to months and is marked by mild symptoms (such as fever, fatigue, or swelling at the infection site) or rarely by serious symptoms (such as myocarditis or meningoencephalitis) but is often asymptomatic. The acute form may sometimes progress years later to a chronic form characterized especially by cardiac and gastrointestinal complications (such as cardiomyopathy, irregular heart rhythm, and enlargement of the colon or esophagus).
called also American trypanosomiasis
Share