Why is Chagas disease important?
Immediate action to combat Chagas disease is important because people are still dying as a result of this parasitic infection without ever being diagnosed or receiving treatment.
Is there a relationship between poverty and Chagas disease?
The established link between poverty and Chagas disease transmission derives largely from poor-quality housing that facilitates triatomine bug invasion, together with lack of access to adequate health care and antenatal care.
Where was Chagas disease first discovered?
Thus, slowly the discovery of Chagas disease spread across various countries of Latin America. In Central America, the first report of human Trypanosomiasis Americana was made by Segovia in El Salvador in 1913.
How does Trypanosoma cruzi evade the immune system?
cruzi evades macrophage microbicidal activity by escaping from the phagolysosome to the host cell cytoplasm where it replicates [20]. Moreover, it also interferes with the transcription of cytokines secreted by infected macrophages [21].
Where is Chagas disease endemic?
People who have Chagas disease can be found anywhere in the world. However, transmission of the disease by kissing bugs (vectorborne transmission), only occurs in the Americas. Most people with Chagas disease became infected in rural areas of Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Why is it called Chagas disease?
Chagas disease is named after the Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909. It is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors and is found only in the Americas (mainly, in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is widespread).
Does Trypanosoma cruzi exhibit antigenic variation as an immune evasion strategy?
There is no evidence that T. cruzi adopts this type of antigenic variation. Instead, the entire T. cruzi population simultaneously exposes a variety of antigenic surface proteins, such as mucins, trans-sialidase, and MASPs, encoded by highly polymorphic multigene families (22, 80, 82, 129, 130).
How do trypanosomes evade immune defenses?
During infection of a mammalian host, African trypanosomes are in constant contact with the host’s immune system. These protozoan parasites are infamous for their ability to evade the immune responses by periodically switching their major variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), a phenomenon called antigenic variation.
What is the incidence of Chagas disease?
Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries in the Americas, and affects approximately 6 million people. In the Americas, Chagas disease show an annual incidence of 30,000 new cases average, 12,000 deaths per year, and 8,000 newborns become infected during gestation.