The parasites enter the body when the person instinctively smears the faeces or urine into the bite, the eyes or the mouth. It can be between 10 and 30 years before people develop symptoms so most are unaware they have Chagas, often called a “silent and silenced disease”.
Chagas disease is severely underdiagnosed, and less than 1% of infected individuals receive treatment. This is in part because patients exhibit a wide range of nonspecific symptoms or no symptoms at all.
Chagas disease is considered a neglected tropical disease. It is endemic in 21 countries in the Americas, although the migration of infected people can transport the disease to non-endemic countries of America and the world.
During this time, most people are unaware of their infection. Many people may remain asymptomatic for life and never develop Chagas-related symptoms. However, an estimated 20–30% of infected people will develop severe and sometimes life-threatening medical problems over the course of their lives.
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.
Chagas disease is an infectious disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease mainly affects the nervous system, digestive system and heart.
If untreated, infection is lifelong and can be life threatening. The impact of Chagas disease is not limited to only rural areas of Latin America in which vectorborne transmission (diseases transmitted by insects) occurs.
Symptoms may include swelling at the infection site, fever, fatigue, body aches, rash and nausea.
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.
Treatment. To kill the parasite, Chagas disease can be treated with benznidazole or nifurtimox. Both medicines are fully effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection at the onset of the acute phase, including the cases of congenital transmission.
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. It mostly affects people living in rural parts of Latin America. It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 people in the U.S. with Chagas disease.
Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Infection is most commonly spread through contact with the poop of an infected triatomine bug (or “kissing bug”), a blood-sucking insect that feeds on humans and animals.
Chagas disease is named after the Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909. It 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).
In planning the formulation of a therapeutic vaccine, one needs to anticipate that chronic Chagas disease patients already have an immune response to the parasite. It is conceivable that the disease is a result of an uncontrolled inflammatory response elicited by the parasite.
They are classified as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and have also been called the forgotten diseases. Chagas is a neglected tropical disease. Today, many people are working to raise public and political awareness of Chagas disease and to ensure that all those affected can get treatment.
Anyone who suspects that they may have Chagas disease should ask their doctor to order this test. Patients who test positive for the infection should have a cardiac check-up. This is done using radiography, an electrocardiogram and occasionally an echocardiogram.
Chagas disease can be treated with Benznidazole and also Nifurtimox. Both medicines are almost 100% effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection at the onset of the acute phase.
After the incubation period of 1 to 2 weeks, infected patients enter the acute phase of Chagas disease. Transfusion- and transplant-associated cases may have a longer incubation period, sometimes up to 120 days.
Receiving a false-positive test result can be worrisome and upsetting, but tests that are false-positive typically mean that infection is not present in the blood. However, a false-positive T. cruzi test result may be indicative of cross-reactivity with other similar parasitic infections.
In the chronic phase, it presents as neuritis that results in altered tendon reflexes and sensory impairment, and is reported in up to 10% of the patients. Isolated cases of central nervous system involvement can also include dementia, confusion, chronic encephalopathy and sensitive and motor deficits.
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.
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.
Chagas disease causes approximately 10,000 deaths per year globally. Up to 30% of infected people develop symptoms. Chagas disease can cause: Stroke.
The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments.
Chronic Chagas disease may cause serious complications that affect the heart and gastrointestinal tract. These complications may be life-threatening if left untreated. Heart complications include: Arrhythmia (unusual heart rate or rhythm).