Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
29 - Triatomine-borne diseases
from Part II - The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Tribute to the author, Norman Gratz
- Preface
- 1 Introduction
- Part I The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of Europe
- Part II The vector- and rodent-borne diseases of North America
- 20 Vector- and rodent borne diseases in the history of the USA and Canada
- 21 The mosquito-borne arboviruses
- 22 Mosquito-borne diseases – malaria
- 23 Mosquito-borne filarial infections
- 24 Sandfly-borne diseases
- 25 Ceratopogonidae -- biting midge-borne diseases
- 26 Dipteran caused infections -- myiasis
- 27 Flea-borne diseases
- 28 The louse-borne diseases
- 29 Triatomine-borne diseases
- 30 Tick-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 31 Mite-borne infections and infestations
- 32 Cockroaches and allergies
- 33 Factors augmenting the incidence, prevalence and distribution of vector-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 34 The rodent-borne diseases of the USA and Canada
- 35 The economic impact of vector- and rodent-borne diseases in the USA and Canada
- 36 Conclusions on the burden of the vector and rodent-borne diseases in Europe, the USA and Canada
- References
- Index
Summary
The hemipteran triatomine bugs are vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease in the western hemisphere in South and Central America.
American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease
American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, is caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. The infection is usually transmitted via the faeces of blood-sucking reduviid bugs which belong to the Triatominae subfamily (kissing bugs). The infection is found in small mammals that serve as reservoir hosts in a sylvatic cycle and human disease results from the colonization of the human habitat by some vector species in a domestic cycle.
Vectorial transmission (via the faeces) is responsible for 80% of human infections. The entry of metacyclic trypomastigotes via the mucosal route (oral or ocular) is easy. Direct skin penetration is more difficult, and generally, the para– site enters through the site where the bug has taken a blood-meal through the lesions which result from scratching a bite. In South and Central America transmission by transfusion of infected blood (containing trypomastigotes) is responsible for 5–20% of the human cases of Chagas disease, mainly in urban centres.
The disease is found only in the American hemisphere. It is endemic in 21 countries; as a result of major control campaigns there is a decreasing trend in its prevalence and eradication of the disease has been achieved in Chile and Uruguay.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Vector- and Rodent-Borne Diseases in Europe and North AmericaDistribution, Public Health Burden, and Control, pp. 233 - 235Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006