Protozoa – Chagas Disease

This disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is truly a disease of the Americas extending from U.S (Texas)≫ Mexico, Central America, South America. Reservoirs: rodents, armadillos, possums.

Transmission: reduviid bug (“kissing bug”). Pathogenesis: bug feeds on humans while its sleeping, and defecates while eating. Trypomastigotes enter humans via bug’s faeces ≫ forms amastigote, rapidly multiplies. Proceed to lymph nodes, + organs via blood.

Features:

Acute Chagas Disease: chagoma, fever, lymphadenopathy. Subsides within 1 month, and moves to intermediate phase where symptoms do not exist, but low levels of bug exists in blood. Sometimes proceeds to Chronic Chagas Disease: heart (arrhythmias ≫ progress to dilated cardiomyopathy), colon (dilated colon = megacolon, associated constipation (i.e.: faeces accumulates in colon) + abdominal pain) affected.

Category: Microbiology Notes