Trypanosoma cruzi

1
Trypanosoma cruzi

• Christopher Ellis

2
Historical Accounts

• In Charles Darwins passage from The Voyage of
  the Beagle, he writes about
• His encounter with
• the Reduvidae bug
• The size of the bug
• Blood-sucking process
• Darwin was also thought to
• have been infected by Chagas
• disease as well!

3
Historical Development

• Originally named Schizotrypanum cruzi
• by Brazilian physician/infectologist Carlos
  Chagas in 1909.
• First researcher to completely describe a new
  infectious diseases pathogen, vector, host,
  clinical manifestations, and epidemiology.

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Historic Human Migrations of Trypanosoma Cruzi
Brazil
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Infrastructure of Trypanosoma cruzi consists of
a.) Areas with straw huts, mud walls, and dirt
floors b.) Areas with many Assassin bugs
c.) Close proximity to livestock d.) Poor
medical attention among those infected
6
The Health Care Communitys Responses

• Medication is effective but
• It is expensive
• Only effective during acute stage of infection
• Resistance has already been reported
• Agents are toxic with adverse effects

A successful vaccine was created in the 1970s but
was too expensive!
7
Prevention

• Testing of blood donors
• Urbanization
• Insecticides
• Mosquito nets

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Success of Prevention

• 72 of incidence among children and young adults
  were certified free in Uruguay and Chile.
• In Brazil ten out of twelve endemic states were
  also certified free.

10/12
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Anthropogenic Environmental Changes of
Trypanosoma cruzi

• Urbanization
• Spread of host
• Deforestation
• Example Amazon

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Resources

1. http//www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/tropical/chagas/trypan.
   html
2. http//www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/chagasdise
   ase/factsht_chagas_disease.htm
3. http//microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Trypanosom
   a
4. http//www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/tropical/chagas/chapter
   4.html
5. http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_Disease
6. http//www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/tropical/chagas/chapter
   .html
7. http//www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3855/i
   s_199907/ai_n8865783