About a week after a bite, an area of local inflammation known as a chagoma often develops where the parasites enter the body.

Not to be confused with a chagoma.

The imaging pattern of brain chagoma is similar to that of cerebral toxoplasmosis, although chagomas tend to be larger than Toxoplasma lesions.

The signs on physical examination can include mild enlargement of the liver or spleen, swollen glands, and local swelling (a chagoma) where the parasite entered the body.

This stage of the disease is often asymptomatic, although fever, malaise, anorexia, induration around the inoculation site (chagoma), or periocular edema (Romaña's sign) might be observed.

A Chagoma is an inflammatory nodule at the bite site of the reduviid bug which transmits Chagas disease, not to be confused with Romana's sign which is periorbital soft tissue and lymphoid swelling which occurs when the T. cruzi protozoan that causes Chagas disease enters through the conjunctiva.