Chagas Disease, Adult
Chagas disease is an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Another name for this infection is American trypanosomiasis.
Chagas disease has two phases. In the initial (acute) phase of infection, you may or may not have symptoms. If the acute phase is not treated, the symptoms may go away, but the infection will not. If the infection has not gone away, it becomes a chronic infection. A chronic infection takes years to develop. Chagas disease can be dangerous because it can cause heart and brain infections.
Chagas disease is rare in the United States. Most infections occur in areas where the insects are common, including Mexico, Central America, and South America, especially in areas where homes may be constructed of dirt, mud, clay
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• Abdominal pain.
• Constipation.
DIAGNOSIS
Your health care provider may suspect Chagas disease based on your symptoms, especially if you lives in or have recently traveled to an area where the disease is common. Your health care provider will also do a physical exam. This may include blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.
TREATMENT
Chagas disease is treated with oral antiparasitic medicines. These medicines work best against the infection in the acute phase. They work less well the longer you are infected. These medicines can also cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, rash, and headaches.
HOME CARE INSTRUCTIONS
• Take your antiparasitic medicine exactly as told by your health care provider. Do not stop taking the medicine even if you start to feel better.
• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your health care provider.
• Drink enough fluid to keep your urine clear or pale yellow.
• Return to your normal activities as told by your health care provider. Ask your health care provider what activities are safe.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is
This disgusting worm parasite is spread by flies and mosquitoes. The adult worm spreads its larvae throughout the host’s lymphatic system and causes the lymph nodes to become clogged up. This also makes the tissue in the host’s body to swell up and create massive muscle deformations, otherwise known as elephantiasis. The elephantiasis mainly affects the legs and genitals. The disease also affects the eyes but that can be easily detected through close inspection but it commonly causes river blindness in the host. It’s been estimated that the parasite is one of the leading causes of blindness throughout the world.
Return to your normal activities as told by your health care provider. Ask your health care provider what activities are safe for you.
When the bacteria is identified proper treatment begins.Some treatments include aggressive IV antimicrobial therapy, fluid replacement, intravenous immunoglobulin to help the body fight the infection. Possible amputation may be necessary to prevent further spread of the
Lyme Disease is the most commonly reported vector borne illness in the United States. In a fifteen year span the annual count of lyme disease increased by 101%, in which 93% of all reported cases came from 10 states in the northeast and Midwest (Bacon, Kugeler & Mean). Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through bitten by infected ticks (CDC data 2013). In the early 1900’s doctors in Europe discovered a disease pattern that created redness and rashes that were associated with tick bites. In the 1970s children in the United States specifically in the region of Lyme, Connecticut were developing these rashes and other symptoms associated with the bacteria found in Europe. The condition was called Lyme disease and the Borrelia burgdorferi that was associated with the new disease was found in the intestines of the vector, the adult deer tick. After the naming of the condition the number of cases increased tremendously. (Bratton, Whiteside, Hovan, Engle & Edwards 2008).
• Make dietary changes as directed by your health care provider. You may need to avoid spicy foods and foods that contain a high amount of potassium.
Onchocerciasis, is transmitted by several bites of an infected Simulium female black fly (CDC, 2013). As a result, from its bite microfilariae contribute to the pathogenesis of O. volvulus through immune response of human host(Sace, 2007). It is equally important, to mention the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia gene. It is found primarily in female microfilariae, has been identified as being the reason for inflammation within the immune system as well as, mast cell development(Andre, Blackwell, Hoerauf, et al, 2002). The transmission of the infection starts in 3 main stages, the first stage is when a person already infected with Onchocerciasis is bitten by a black fly. The microfilariae (MF) then develop inside the fly
Treatment varies depending on how severe your symptoms are. Your health care provider may recommend:
Your health care provider may suspect cholecystitis from your symptoms and medical history. Your health care provider will also do a physical exam. The health care provider may also do tests to confirm the diagnosis. These may include:
...nsmitted in the form of a cyst to other hosts and initiate an infection. Usually the infected host remains asymptomatic as the parasite does not cause a lethal infection or else the number of possible hosts will decrease rapidly. There are anti-parasitic drugs available to treat Giardiasis. Nitroimidazoles, being the most effective, are the drugs most commonly used. For example, metronidazole, acts by binding and mutating DNA which kills the parasite. In addition, there are measures which can be taken to prevent possible ingestion of cysts which can lead to an infection. For example, hand washing before and after dealing with food and direct contact with other people. Drinking potentially contaminated water should be avoided before it is treated and safe to drink. This is important as Giardia lamblia cysts are able to survive for months in the outside environment.
The main thing in common with these three diseases is also the main difference right off the back besides their names. For schistosomiasis, its vector is the fresh water snails (Bulinus, Oncomelania, Biomphalaris), for Chagas the vector is the triatomine bug or kissing bug and lastly Japanese Encephalitis vector is the Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito. When it comes to schistosomiasis the way the disease is transmitted is by the free-swimming parasite entering your body through broken skin or urethra or rectum. So, unlike Chagas or Japanese Encephalitis the
I. General Description Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite, causes Chagas disease, a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to humans by blood-sucking triatomine bugs (also known as the kissing bug because it bites on the face). Chagas disease is named after the Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909. Chagas disease is endemic throughout much of Mexico, Central America, and South America where an estimated 18 million people are infected. It has been introduced into the United States by population migration.
Human African Trypanosomiasis, commonly known as sleeping sickness is a highly prevalent parasitic disease in sub-Saharan Africa. The organism responsible for this infectious disease is the Trypanosoma brucei, which claims hold to humans and other animals, as its primary hosts. Since Trypanosoma brucei are parasitic, their environment is their host. The most common carrier is the African native tsetse fly, which is abundant in western and central regions of the continent (Kagbadouno et al. 2012). Cases of sleeping sickness have also been found scattered throughout the eastern and southern portions of Africa, but it is less common in these areas.
months afterwards. If your found with this infection the doctor will give you some antibiotic
Take your antibiotic medicine as told by your health care provider. Do not stop taking the antibiotic even if you start to feel better.
• Take medicines, supplements, and herbal remedies only as directed by your health care provider.