Introduction

The book focuses on a global problem challenging the health systems. Trypanosoma cruzi infections are transmitted by cone-nosed triatomine bugs, by blood transfusion and congenitally from mothers to their offspring. The American Trypanosomiasis affects 20 million people; among them a significant parcel (< 1/3) will develop Chagas disease in the heart and digestive tract, where the immune system effector cells destroy target host cells. Genotype modifications resulting from transfer of minicircle sequence kDNA from the parasite into the host´s genome may explain the autoimmune pathogenesis of the disease. The book discusses various aspects of this disease and should be of interest to readers who wish to keep abreast of the developments in this field.