Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of
cardiac disease in endemic areas of Latin America. It is now being diagnosed in
nonendemic areas because of immigration. Typical cardiac manifestations of Chagas
disease include dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias,
cardioembolism, and stroke. Clinical and laboratory-based research to define the pathology
resulting from T. cruzi infection has shed light on many of the cellular and molecular …