EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso have found a sharp increase in the number of insects carrying the parasite that causes Chagas disease, raising new concerns about the potential for local transmission in the Borderland region.
Chagas disease is caused by a protozoan parasite that can lodge in the heart or intestines and lead to serious health problems years after infection, including severe heart disease and gastrointestinal complications.
“It is a disease caused by a protozoan parasite that lodges into the tissues of the heart or the intestines and in the long term, it can cause severe cardiomyopathy and serious intestinal issues,” Priscilla Farani, assistant professor UTEP’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said…