Charles Darwin, Chagas ’ disease, and the killer kissing bugs of California
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It is possible, although very unusual, to get Chagas’ disease in the United States. The medical journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases recently reported a case of Chagas’ disease acquired in California. A healthy 19-year-old student from the greater Los Angeles area donated blood, and tested positive for Chagas’ disease. (Blood donations in the United States are routinely screened for Chagas’ disease, as it is estimated that 300,000 Latin American immigrants in the United States have been infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.) He had never traveled to Latin America; his infection probably came from a kissing bug bite in his sleep during one of several camping trips in southern California. Tests showed no evidence of heart damage. He had a good response to four months of treatment with the anti-parasitic drug nifurtimox, although this drug gave him temporary side effects of anxiety and depression.
Kissing bugs are found in much of the United States. However, only kissing bugs in the southwest United States are highly likely to carry Trypanosoma cruzi. Kissing bugs in California and Texas may be especially likely to spread Chagas’ disease. In one study, 28% of kissing bugs from southern California and 55% of kissing bugs from northern California were carrying Trypanosoma cruzi. In the borderlands of south Texas, 57% of kissing bugs are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi.
The major reason why the spread of Chagas’ disease is rare in the Unit...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: John Ross, MD, FIDSA Tags: Health Infectious diseases Source Type: blogs
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