A Description Of The Disease

Yet many of these diseases affect man's economy profoundly by spreading disease not only among man, but also among his livestock. There are also the groups of diseases known as arthropod-borne zoonosis, which are primarily diseases of animals transmitted to man by arthropods. For understanding the role of insects in spreading disease, knowledge of the biology of the insects, as well as the biology of the pathogens they transmit, is essential. Along with causing plagues throughout the world, insects have played a major role in wars. Diseases transmitted to soldiers from insects have had enormous effects on warfare in our history. For instance, during the Vietnam War there were a larger number of casualties due to insect transmitted diseases than deaths due to the fighting of war. In cases where such losses of men and resources are one-sided, the actions of insects have determined the outcome of entire wars and thus have altered the course of history.

One of the devastating diseases that was carried to East Africa was sleeping sickness (Ransford 111). The tsetse fly carries the sleeping sickness parasite, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, and transmits it through its bite (African Trypanosomiasis). The isolated tribe’s total lack of immunity and the eastern migratory shift increased both the severity and rapidity of this disease for Eastern African regions. For example, the decline in the population of Lukolela from less than 6,000 in 1891 to only a little more than 700 in 1896, is due to this type of disease transference (Ransford 128).

Our plan is to run blood tests on individuals who exhibit symptoms of FSGS to confirm if they express the APOL1 gene. The individuals whose blood we use, since we have to take both likelihood of affliction and ancestry into consideration, will be from people who are of West African descent. In order to confirm if the individual expresses the APOL1 gene, we will first take the individual’s blood sample, large enough to have a detectable amount of HDL cholesterol (potentially formed into an APOL1-HDL complex). We will then acquire a sample of the parasite. The parasite will be acquired by gathering the various species of Tsetse flies which serve as vectors for trypanosomes in West Africa. We can then cultivate a live axenic sample of

Discovered in 1909 by Carlos Chagas, Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, affects an estimated 8 million individuals annually according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of individuals affected by this disease annually makes it a significant, yet preventable, problem. As a chronic parasitic infection, the disease is transmitted by insects and most commonly found in impoverished regions of Latin America, as well as the rest of the Americas. The purpose of this report is to explain the biology of this disease as well as its epidemiology and prevention strategies.

Once the immune system reacts to the parasitic egg the victim’s skin becomes inflamed causing extreme itching. This severe itching has been known to cause some to commit suicide. This migration causes the once normal human skin to become thick and depigmented resembling and feeling like that of an elephants (pachyderm) skin. Figure 5 is a picture from the Neglected Tropical Disease website (2010) which shows “a Ugandan man suffering from [river blindness]. [The picture] shows the inflammation and de-pigmentation the condition is

The most important diseases, however, are the leishmaniases (Lainson, 1982). Leishmaniases, are parasitic diseases with a wide range of clinical symptoms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis (Kravchenko et al., 2004). The most common form is Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, CL (Akhoundi et al., 2016). Two protozoan species Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica are important agents of CL throughout Pakistan. While Leishmania donovani causes Visceral Leishmaniasis mostly in upper northern regions of Pakistan such as Chitral (Rab et al., 1995 and Tanoli et al., 2005). Transmission occurs during feeding. The leishmania parasites develop into an infective form inside the gut of the sand fly vector and are injected together with saliva into host body during blood feeding (Kato et al., 2006)

Recently in 2014, there was a major outbreak from Ebola. The virus first transmitted to humans from wild animals and spread even more to the human race by close contact. The number cases for this current year so far is 9,936; 4,877 have been killed by this disease. This sickness can be treatable, early care is very important with rehydration, symptomatic treatment can improve survival rates. Ebola has been slowly dying down but has not totally been wiped out.

Elephantiasis is a neglected tropical disease. Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. The mosquito grows into a adult worm and the worm lives in the lymphatic system. It is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system. There are 8 filariasis worms known to affect humans and these can be divided according to the body area they affect.

These bug typically live in the mud and can be found in poorer areas Mexico and South America. These bugs also known as kissing bugs come out at night and feed on humans while sleeping. Once the bug is done eating it defecates leaving parasites on the skin. The people then become infected if the parasite enters the body (mouth, eyes, cut, or wound from the bite). It can also be transmitted through blood transfusion, organ transplants, or done accidentally in the lab.

East African Trypanosomiasis, better known as the sleeping sickness, is when a tsetse fly bites you and you get infected. The bite is painful and will turn into a red sore or in more serious cases a chancre. Tsetse flies feed on animals then they go and bite humans causing the disease. Some symptoms are fever, extreme fatigue, joint pains and headaches. Some people will experience personality changes and neurological problems. The symptoms will start to occur within one to three weeks prior to the bite. If this disease isn't treated death will occur within months. The fly bites during daylight and usually in woodland and savannah areas. People who live in rural areas have a much higher risk of getting bite by a tsetse fly. There is no way to prevent the bite. However there is treatment. This is a global issue in South Sudan, Africa. The sleeping sickness was first reported in South Sudan in 1908. East African Trypanosomiasis has been an issue for the past century.

When the infected Tsetse fly takes a meal on a human, the same process occurs with humans. Symptoms often start 1 to 3 weeks of infection. They include a chancre, a red sore, where the Tsetse fly bite, fever, headaches, extreme fatigue, weight loss, irritability, aching joints and muscles, and a skin rash. When the parasite invades the central nervous system, people experience confusion, personality changes, and other neurological problems. The parasites can be checked for through a skin biopsy, blood tests, and perhaps even a spinal tap. HOwever, it s is found in parts of Eastern and Southeastern Africa and over 95% of reported cases are from Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. Treatment should be performed as soon as possible and varies depending on lab results. It requires hospitalization and there are 2 years of periodic exams which can include spinal taps. Without treatment, death can occur within months. As with many things, it is best to prevent acquiring this parasite instead of receiving treatment after one acquires it. Preventive actions

As we now know, Malaria is the major social problem in Zambia, effecting health, economy, and everyday lives. The people of Zambia have become accustomed to the fight against Malaria and the history behind it. What was once a defense, is now a damaging downfall to their society. When the Europeans moved north into Africa, they had entered an entirely different world and climate. All around them they noticed Native Africans farming, herding cattle, healthy and alive. Europeans and their imported animals had fallen victim to disease, yet tropical Africans showed fewer of the same effects, even smallpox. How was this possible?

African sleeping sickness is a disease with multiple factors that make it a deadly illness to contract. To understand the illness is to understand its vector and how it plays a critical role in its infection of people. The relationship between the protozoan and the Tsetse fly is an intimate one that cannot be disregarded when evaluating its effects on a community. When traveling to counties that have a Tsetse fly presence in Africa it is best to plan ahead and use preventative measures. It was been proven to be much easier to prevent an infection of African sleeping sickness as opposed to curing it. The protozoan is able to survive and thrive in multiple organisms which makes it an incredible microbe and its ability to use the Tsetse fly as

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), Toxoplasmosis gondii is a single- celled parasite that causes a disease known as Toxoplasmosis. Most humans affected with this acute infection never know they have even come into contact with it because human’s immune systems are usually strong enough to fight off the infection. Most of the 60 million who are affected by this parasite are either pregnant women or someone with a compromised immune system.

Goldberg’s article, “Microbes on the Move,” contains a personal, narrative story and few other short stories about easily spreadable viruses. In the personal story, the narrator tells about his adventure in East Africa where he contracted malaria while hiking on a mountain, but his life was saved by the park ranger and doctor. He added a note at the end of the story that one million Africans are killed by malaria each year due to lack of sufficient treatment.