Chagas Disease

Although Chagas disease is not as well known as many other ailments, it is still quite useful to be aware of what it is. This disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who the disease was named after, first discovered it in 1909. The disease is not transmitted to humans directly by the bite of the insect like one may assume. Rather, transmission occurs when one scratches the location of the bite, which may be accompanied by the feces eliminated by the barber on the skin. Transmission can also occur by transfusion of contaminated blood as well as during pregnancy, as the disease can go from mother to child. 

Some of the main symptoms of Chagas disease include fever, malaise, inflammation and pain in the nodes, redness, and swelling in the eyes. Often, fever disappears after a few days and the person does not even realize what happened to him/her, although the parasite is already lodged in some organs. As symptoms are not always noticeable, the individual may only know that he/she has the disease 20 or even 30 years after being infected, when doing a routine blood test. Meningitis and encephalitis are serious complications of Chagas' disease in the acute phase, but death is rare. While still in one’s circulation, Trypanosoma cruzi affects the ganglia, the liver and the spleen. Then it moves into the heart, intestine and esophagus. In the chronic stages of the disease, there may be complications such as chagasic myocarditis (enlarged heart), megacolon (enlarged colon that can cause retention of stools) and megaesophagus (regurgitation of the food eaten). These injuries are permanent and irreversible. 

The incubation period is five to fourteen days after the bite and the diagnosis is made through a blood test. The blood test should be prescribed when an individual comes from endemic areas and presents the symptoms listed above. The medication is given under medical supervision in hospitals due to the side effects it generates, and must be maintained for at least one month. The drug's effect is usually satisfactory in the acute phase of the disease, while the parasite is circulating in the bloodstream. In the chronic phase, the treatment is directed to the manifestations of the disease in order to control the symptoms and avoid complications. Chagas disease is common in South America, Central America and Mexico, which is the primary home of the triatomine bug (barber). Rare cases of Chagas disease have been found in the southern United States, as well. 

References: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chagas-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356212 

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/index.html