Which organism is the causative agent of Chagas disease and is transmitted by reduviid bugs?

• A. Trypanosoma brucei
• B. Trypanosoma cruzi
• C. Leishmania braziliensis
• D. Dracunculus medinensis

Answer: (B)

Chagas disease is caused by a flagellated protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, which is carried by triatomine bugs, commonly called reduviid or kissing bugs, found in the Americas. Transmission happens when these bugs feed and then defecate; the parasite in the feces enters the human host through the bite wound or mucous membranes, initiating infection. Inside the body, the parasite invades cells and replicates, leading to the disease’s acute and chronic phases. Among the options, this organism is the one linked to Chagas disease and the reduviid bug vector. The other organisms are associated with different diseases and vectors: Trypanosoma brucei causes African sleeping sickness via tsetse flies; Leishmania braziliensis causes leishmaniasis via sandflies; Dracunculus medinensis (Guinea worm) is contracted from drinking water containing infected copepods.