Chagas disease is found in central and south America. It’s an inflammatory disease caused by a parasite and is spread through the excrement of the reduvid bug that has been infected with it. Also called the American form of Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease develops in two phases – the acute phase in which the disease causes mild symptoms and the chronic phase which causes serious health repercussions to the heart and other body functions.
Cause of Chagas Disease
The trypanosome cruzi parasite is the guilty party which inhabits the reduvid bug. It picks up the parasite from biting and digesting blood from an infected animal. From there, the disease can be passed to humans. Because these reduvid bugs live in the mud as well as adobe and thatch huts which are made from the mud they live. Therefore, the bugs become a part of the dwelling itself and come out at night to get their blood meal from humans.
As the bug bites, they eliminate feces which contain the parasites that cause Chagas disease. These parasites can migrate into the body in a variety of ways such as through a break in the skin, and mucosal areas like the eyes, nose and mouth. Scratching a bug bite can also help the parasites as well. Other ways you could become infected include eating food which is contaminated with the excrement from the reduvid bug, receiving infected blood or even an organ transplant.
