The parasite transmitted via feces of kissing bedbugs or vinchucas is called metacyclic tripomastigote in that early stage. The tripomastigote can immediately invade the cells in the point of entry or can be transported in the blood and invade other cells. Inside the cells, the parasite changes to amastigote forms that multiplies very fast. The amastigotes are round with an external flagellum or without it. The development from amastigotes to tripomastigotes is began after finishing the programmed number of intracellular divisions. These tripomastigotes can infect other cells but they are not able to multiply in the blood because the only way of reproduction in the blood is in intracellular amastigote form.

The kissing bedbugs or vinchucas are born without the infection, they get infected by eating from infected human beings and infected wild or domestic animals. The tripomastigotes travel to the middle intestine of the insect where they become epimastigotes, a wide flagellate very mobile, with the kinetoplast between the nucleus and the flagellum. The epimastigotes change into metacyclic tripomastigotes and travel to the rear intestine where, later, are excreted with the feces at the time of the bite. By the degradation of the D.N.A of the kinetoplast with the restrictive enzymes and its electrophoretic analysis, is possible the identification of different stocks of T. cruzi.

Source of Information

• Tripanosoma cruzi, el invasor
  Ciencia Hoy - Volumen 1 N° 2 Febrero/Marzo 1989
  http://www.ciencia-hoy.retina.ar/hoy02/trypanosoma.htm

More Information

• Trypanosoma cruzi
• Life cycle
• Frequently Asked Questions