Amanjot DhamiScience 8Block 1

Chagas Disease

CausesChagas disease is commonly transmitted to humans and other

mammals by a feces of the reduviid bug, an insect that infests mud, adobe, or thatch houses. People get infected when they unknowingly rub bug feces into their eyes or mouth or

into a bite wound. An infected woman can pass the infection to her baby during pregnancy, at delivery, or while breastfeeding. It may also be spread through blood transfusion (formerly the second most common mode of transmission), organ transplantation, ingestion of food contaminated with parasites and from a mother to her fetus. This insect vector  is called Triatomine.

SYMPTOMSACUTE STAGE: CHRONIC STAGE: Fever Fatigue Body aches Headache Rash Loss of appetite Diarrhea Vomiting(More serious) Constipation Digestive problems Pain in the abdomen Swallowing difficulties

After 4-8 weeks, if you still have the disease, you enter the chronic phase of Chagas disease that normally affects 60-80% of chronically infected individuals throughout their lifetime. 20-40% of chronically infected individuals will still eventually develop life-threatening heart and digestive system disorders.

Extreme eye

swelling

This is probably the worst affect on having the Chagas disease during the acute stage. Your eye swells up immensely, enough to

completely shut your eye and block your eye sight.

Extreme eye swelling

Extreme eye sw

elling

How to Fight the Illness

Currently there is no vaccine for this disease but a number of potential vaccines are being tested.

Vaccination with Trypanosoma rangeli has produced positive results in animal models.

Photomicrograph of Giemsa-stainedTrypanosoma cruzi

Treatment• Drugs of choice include azole or nitro derivatives, such

as benznidazole or nifurtimox.

• Pacemakers and medications for irregular heartbeats, such as the anti-arrhythmia drug amiodarone, may be like saving for some patients with chronic cardiac disease, while surgery may be required for mega intestine.

• Chagas disease is now a common reason for heart transplantation.

• Recently, direct stem cell therapy of the heart muscle using bone marrow cell transplantation has been shown to dramatically reduce risks of heart failure in Chagas patients.

Side Affects with the Treatment

• Cardiomyopathy• Enlargement of the colon• Enlargement of the

esophagus (swallowing difficulty)

• Heart disease• Heart failure• Malnutrition

PreventionPreventing this disease is generally focused on just fighting the vector, Triatoma by using sprays and paints containing insecticides.

Improving housing and sanitary conditions in rural areas.

For camping: mosquito nets are recommended.

Referenceshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002348/http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=chagas+disease&um=1&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1C2SKPL_enCA454CA455&tbas=0&biw=1680&bih=916&tbm=isch&tbnid=QxvZDF_3lbtRWM:&imgrefurl=http://www.msgpp.org/chagas.shtml&docid=PARajMqzX2LyWM&imgurl=http://www.msgpp.org/images/chagas123.jpg&w=453&h=326&ei=eE8eT73hNMOciALx093fCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=368&sig=101426341143382953436&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=176&start=0&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&tx=148&ty=79

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease

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By Amanjot Dhami

Prevention is better than cure.