Overview. Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite
These results suggest that the inflammatory cardiomyopathy of Chagas' disease is a genetically driven autoimmune disease.
Chagas disease, originally a South American endemic health problem, is expanding worldwide because of people migration. Its main impact is on the cardiovascular system, producing myocardial damage that frequently results in heart failure.
Chagas disease is not directly transmissible from person-to- person, with the exception of congenital transmission, or through casual contact with infected animals.
The protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, causes Chagas disease, a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to humans by blood-sucking triatomine bugs.
Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors and is found only in the Americas (mainly, in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is widespread). Chagas disease (T. cruzi infection) is also referred to as American trypanosomiasis.
Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
These studies have demonstrated that a significant proportion of the variation in seropositivity and a number of traits related to Chagas disease progression is attributable to genetic factors.
Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries in the Americas, and affects approximately 6 million people. In the Americas, Chagas disease show an annual incidence of 30,000 new cases average, 12,000 deaths per year, and approximately 9,000 newborns become infected during gestation.
In the chronic phase of the disease, the parasite gets inside your heart muscle. This is why later symptoms often involve the heart. Symptoms of Chagas disease in the acute phase (the first few weeks or months) are: Mild flu-like symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, body aches, and headaches.
What is Chagas disease? Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is an illness that can cause serious heart and stomach problems. It is caused by a parasite. Chagas disease is common in Latin America, especially in poor, rural areas.
Chagas disease is an infectious disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease mainly affects the nervous system, digestive system and heart.
Chagas disease is curable if treated soon after infection. Unfortunately, most infected people are unaware of their infection until it's too late, and they present with complications of chronic heart or bowel problems.
Decades after being infected, about 30 percent of those who have Chagas develop serious health effects, including cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), heart failure, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. Less common are disorders that affect the digestive system.
Chagas disease or American trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease is considered within the group of neglected diseases or a disease of poverty. It is endemic in 21 countries in the Americas.
If Chagas disease progresses to the long-lasting (chronic) phase, serious heart or digestive complications may occur. These may include: Heart failure. Heart failure occurs when your heart becomes so weak or stiff that it can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.
The diagnosis of Chagas disease can be made by observation of the parasite in a blood smear by microscopic examination. A thick and thin blood smear are made and stained for visualization of parasites.
The triatomine bug thrives in poor housing conditions (for example, mud walls, thatched roofs), and where the bug is present, people living in rural areas are at greatest risk for getting infected.
The risk of transmission from mother-to-child is thought to be low, with an estimated 1-5% of infants born in the United States to mothers with Chagas disease infected with T. cruzi. This translates to between 63 to 315 infected infants born every year.
Chagas disease has an acute and a chronic phase. If untreated, infection is lifelong. Acute Chagas disease occurs immediately after infection, and can last up to a few weeks or months.
Chagas disease causes approximately 10,000 deaths per year globally. Up to 30% of infected people develop symptoms. Chagas disease can cause: Stroke.
Triatomine bugs (also called “kissing bugs”, cone-nosed bugs, and blood suckers) can live indoors, in cracks and holes of substandard housing, or in a variety of outdoor settings including the following: Beneath porches. Between rocky structures. Under cement.
African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is caused by Trypanosoma brucei parasites in sub-Saharan Africa and is transmitted by the tsetse fly? (Glossina). American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites in Latin America and is transmitted by the triatomine or 'kissing' bug.
University of Pennsylvania Health System: “Penn Study Shows Bed Bugs Can Transmit Parasite that Causes Chagas Disease.”
Kissing bugs can cause patches of bites, often around the mouth. The bites are usually painless, but they may swell and look like hives. Itching from the bites may last a week.