The Vector Triatoma infestans and the Parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, Responsible for Chagas Disease in the Southern Cone

The following photographs depict the main vector involved in the transmission of American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas Disease) in the Southern Cone countries, T. infestans (in common language, vinchuca or chupón), by carrying the parasite T. cruzi. The insect hides in the walls and thatched roofs of humble dwellings, biting the people living there and thereby infecting them.

Photos courtesy of PAHO's two subregional initiatives, INCOSUR-Chagas (Southern Cone Initiative to Control/Eliminate Chagas Disease) and IPCA (Initiative of Central American Countries to Interrupt Vectoral and Trasfusional Transmission of Chagas Disease). Click in the photos below to see the larger version.