Hello Every-one!!  My Friday night posts have proven to be statistically unpopular probably because most of my readers are rather sociable people with a night-life at the end of the week.  This is why I have chosen to write about a particularly nasty bug because it would never be a popular subject anyway.  But nevertheless, it is worth talking about.  This is a Friday Night Stuck At Home Post!!

Chagas Disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis and is a disease of the Tropics caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi which is spread by insects known as triatominae, or more commonly kissing bugs.

This was actually one that we found in our house…aarrghh!!!  They send shivers down my spine!!  This is the variety that tends to pop up in our area.

At the risk of sounding petty, they do look rather nasty and evil, don’t they?  We actually call them “The Bad Bugs” because they look so mean and intimidating.

During the day, triatomines hide in crevices in the walls and roofs.  They are especially prevalent in thatched roof houses.  These bugs come out at night and tend to bite people’s faces, ingest blood and also defaecate at the site of the bite.  It is the faeces that are the problem and cause transmission of parasites at the site of the wound especially when the wound is scratched.  The parasites then replicate within the blood stream.

(Yes indeed…this is turning into a Friday Night Horror).

There are other modes of transmission including blood transfusions, organ transplantation, breast milk and very rarely, contaminated food.

In terms of signs and symptoms, this disease is separated into acute stage and chronic stage.  The acute stage is at the time of the insect bite and may include non-specific symptoms of fever, malaise, muscle aches, headaches, diarrhoea, vomiting and rash.  Romana’s sign is a well recognised sign of Chagas Disease in which the patient presents with a swollen eyelid on the side of the face with the bite.

Whilst working in Punta Gorda NHI Clinic, I actually saw quite a few of these cases with the characteristic signs.

The majority of patients get better within about two months with no dangerous sequelae.  There are a very small percentage that end up with symptoms of the chronic stage which may include problems with the heart (cardiomyopathy), dilatation of the digestive system and nervous system problems.

Phew…that was pretty heavy going…

There is medication (benznidazole or nifurtimox) to treat the  disease if diagnosed in the acute stage.  However, the medication still has limited efficacy in eliminating the parasites to give an effective cure.  Diagnosis can be made by microscopic examination of fresh blood which will reveal the parasites.

What do you need to do to prevent Chagas Disease?  Regular cleaning and sanitising of the sleeping areas are essential especially if the roof is thatched or the house unsealed.  Mosquito nets are a cheap and effective preventative measure.  Camping out in the bush can be especially dangerous and it is not recommended.

Having said that, most people do not need to worry about them (like all you guys out there).  It is only a risk to those mad people (like us) who decide to live in the middle of nowhere next to the rainforest!!