Trypanosoma cruzi

• Endemic to Mexico, South America and Central America, infecting 8-11 million people there

• It is associated with poverty and poor housing because the insects that carry the disease can live in cracks and holes of poorly constructed houses made out of thatch, and mud

• T. cruzi, causes Chagas disease or American Trypanosomiasis.

Transmission• This parasite is transmitted

by a different type of blood-sucking arthropod, genus Triatoma, Rhodnius also known as “kissing bugs” by Scratching

• Ingestion of food contaminated with parasites

• Blood transfusion • Fetal transmission

trypomastigote

amastigote

Chagas Disease• Acute stage: Immediate reaction to infection

– Only occurs in about 1% of people infected – Swelling of the eye, tiredness, fever, rash, loss of appetite– Can be fatal for infants, young children and immunocompromised

recipients– Lesion (chagoma) at site of inoculation

• Resolve over a period of a few weeks or months

• Indeterminate : 60-70% 8 to 10 weeks after infection– No symptoms

• Chronic: 30-40 % 10 to 20 years after infection– Enlarged heart and digestive tract– Can result in heart failure (Potentially fatal if untreated)

• Little effective therapy (toxic drugs/low cure rates)

Chagas' disease

Most recognized SymptomsOf Acute phase

•Chagoma: inflammatory response at site of infection.

•Romaña sign: bilateral edema (unilateral)

is due to entry of the infectious agent is through the eye: unilateral conjunctivitis.

Most recognized symptoms of chronic phase

Diagnosis• Microscopic examination:

fresh anticoagulated blood thin and thick blood smears stained with Giemsa

• Serology: IFAT CFT  IHAT ELISA  

• Isolation of the agent: inoculation in culture with specialized media inoculation into mice xenodiagnosis

Prevention• Most effective approach• Insecticides• Education• Improving housing conditions• Sanitation• Testing of blood donors