What is Chagas Disease?
Chagas disease is a parasitic disease that is an important health problem in Central and South America. Chagas disease is also called American trypanosomiasis [tri-PAN-o-so-MY-a-sis]. What is the infectious agent that causes Chagas disease? Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Where is Chagas disease found? Chagas disease is confined to South and Central America. How do people get Chagas disease? • Chagas disease is usually spread by the feces of reduviid bugs, insects that live in cracks and holes of poorly constructed houses and outbuildings in South and Central America. The bugs become infected after biting an infected animal or person. Once infected, the bugs pass Trypanosoma parasites in their feces. People get infected when they unknowingly rub bug feces into their eyes or mouth or into a skin wound or bite. People can also become infected by eating uncooked food contaminated with infected bug feces. • Chagas disease can be transmitted by contaminated blood
American trypanasomiasis, also known as Chagas disease, is a potentially fatal, chronic disease that currently affects twelve million people throughout Mexico, Central and South America. The disease is caused by a protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. T. cruzi is transmitted to humans and animals by triatomine bugs, commonly referred to as “kissing bugs” (Fig. 1). Additionally, humans can contract the disease from blood transfusions with contaminated blood. Chagas disease can cause different symptoms depending on the location of the parasite in muscle tissue. Acute infections can be fatal, but most humans survive acute infection. Acute symptoms include: • Romañas sign: an obvious swelling of the eye and surrounding area • Fever • Skin rash • Enlarged lymph nodes, liver, or spleen Acute infections are treatable using medications prescribed by a physician. Symptoms of chronic cardiac infection in humans include: • Heart palpitations • Dizziness • Chest pain • Fainting Chronic Chagas inf
Chagas’ Disease is a deadly parasitic disease. Much of the literature written prior to 2005 or 2006 states that Chagas’ is primarily a concern for inhabitants of Central and South American Countries and Mexico. In recent years however, there has been significant population migration of those from endemic countries into the United States and Europe. This had led to increased risks for populations in Europe and the US as the disease spreads outside the traditional geographic boundaries. It is estimated that 25-30% of infected individuals will suffer irreversible cardiac, neurological, or gastrointestinal problems resulting in death. Chagas’ disease threatens over 120 million people in 21 countries, yet is relatively unknown to the general public. Symptoms may be varied and many physicians underdiagnose the disease, making it difficult to accurately predict the actual depth of the problem. Parasites invade internal organs and slowly cause affected organs to enlarge and even burst.
Chagas Disease is a tropical parasitic infection which kills an estimated 50,000 people annually, with somewhere between eight and 11 million people living with Chagas Diease in the tropical regions of the world. This disease is concentrated in Latin America, although it has appeared in parts of Africa as well, and it has been regarded as a major problem since the 1960s, when the epidemic nature of Chagas disease in tropical regions began to be documented. This disease is named for Doctor Carlos Chagas, the man who discovered it in 1909. Although Dr. Chagas did not fully understand how the disease was transmitted, he did manage to link it with insects, and he suggested that the risk of Chagas Disease was much higher in impoverished regions, where people lacked access to insect netting, clean environments, and other measures which could prevent infection. The infection is caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, which is carried in the feces of several insect species. People contract C
• Chagas disease: A parasitic infection caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by insect bites or blood transfusions. The disease primarily involves the heart and gastrointestinal system. • Chagas disease: The agent of South American trypanosomiasis or CHAGAS DISEASE. Its vertebrate hosts are man and various domestic and wild animals. Insects of several species are vectors. Source – Diseases Database Chagas disease is listed as a “rare disease” by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Chagas disease, or a subtype of Chagas disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population. Source – National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Chagas disease as a “rare disease”.
