The Problem Of African Trypanosomiasis

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).

Chagas disease, also known as American Trypanosomiasis, is a tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, transmitted to humans through contact with the feces of an infected triatomine bug. The triatomine bug known as the kissing bug is a subspecies of the Reduviidae family. The bug itself does not cause the disease. Through contact with the fecal matter from the kissing bug, which is excreted near the bite wound, the parasite enters the bloodstream and begins to develop and reproduce.

Deadly insects are abundant in africa and kill people daily. The tsetse fly can cause sleeping

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.

On December 26, 2013, in a small village in Guinea, a anomalous disease began spreading. An 18-month-old boy fell victim to the illness characterized by fever, black stools, and vomiting and would soon die from it. The boy is said to have contracted the disease from infected bats that were closer to human settlements due to deforestation. By January 2014, several members of the boy’s family and those who had helped them had developed similar symptoms resulting in death. Soon after, the disease had spread to those who had attended funerals or took care of ill relatives causing this pattern of exposure continued. An alert on January 24th was raised when the head of the Meliandou health post informed district health officials of cases of severe diarrhoea with a fatal outcome. An investigation was setup where a team of health officials found what

Annually, 200 million malaria cases are contracted and of these, 90% occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately one million people die annually, making plasmodium falciparum the most deadly parasitic disease. Contraction of plasmodium falciparum begins when a female Anopheles mosquito injects sporozoites, an early form of plasmodium falciparum, into the host. This sporozite is then transported to the human liver where it undergoes asexual reproduction producing merozoites. The merozoites invade other liver cells and enter the host’s bloodstream, where they invade erythrocyte. After the infection of the erythrocyte, the merozoite is transformed into a trophozoite, which then begins asexual reproduction near the nucleus to form a schizont in the erythrocytic cell. The schizont then asexually reproduces to produce mononucleated merozoites. When the erythrocytic cell ruptures due to the 3,000-4,000 merozoites produced, symptoms of fever and chills are induced within the host. This life cycle is extremely damaging to children; persons under the age of 5 account for 86% of malaria fatalities. Malaria has other characteristic effects, such as yellowing of the skin/eyes (jaundice), sweating, vomiting, weakness, and nausea. Current mortality rates in Africa are 9.33% per 1000 children, which represent 28.2% of all fatalities for those under five. The story changes dramatically as the host

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.

In the United States people tend to take a lot for granted, such as: vaccinations, medications, availability of doctors’, or even the simple satisfaction of walking outside barefoot. Leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease also known as the sand fly disease, is caused by Leishmania parasites and is transmitted by the bite of infected sand flies. Leishmaniasis is both a subtropical and tropical disease found in over ninety countries. This disease ranges from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2013). It is found most frequently in India, Iran, Peru, Brazil, and Columbia (Medicine Net 2014). According to the Bridging Research and Leishmaniasis Control, it has estimated that

T.cruzi the parasite found in the bugs was actively at work and “cruzi” was named after Oswalda Cruz, Chagas great friend at the Institute of Oswalda Cruz in Brazil (Oswaldo Cruz 391). It was apparent though, that this disease was found in several poor areas across South America. Chagas actually believed it was a relatively poor disease that affected disgruntled areas. Chagas examined that this disease was very much capable of causing human suffering. It was understood that once you contracted the disease by the Triatominae bugs that symptoms would soon follow. Chagas disease was an acute and chronic disease that would destroy the human body from the inside out. Symptoms observed tended to be “anemia, physical decline, developmental retardation and impaired intelligence, infantilism, lymphadenopathy, hepato-splennomegaly, bouts of fever, palpebral edema and edema of other body parts” (Perleth 219). It was understood though, that people who tended to develop this disease to become chronic, affected the heart much more than any other part in the body, leading to heart

West African trypanosomiasis, also called Gambian sleeping sickness, is a long-lasting (chronic) infection. The infection spreads over time to affect the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). Without treatment it is life-threatening.

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

Zoonotic potential: found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe, starting to see some cases in usa. transmission by bite of sand-fly that has fed off an infected mammalian host. Least 93

Trypanosomiasis also known as T.b. Is mostly found in Sub-Sahara Africa. A bug called Tsetse flies around and spreads the disease. The disease that T.b. Causes is called sleeping sickness. What happens when you get thins is you get bit by the tsetse and the T.b. spreads throughout your body. The treatment for this disease is called Pentamidine, this drug is recommended for first stage T.b. Other drugs for this disease are called aura in, melarsoprol, eflonithine, and

Originating from Latin America, American Trypanosomiasis, or better known as Chagas Disease, is a “systematic chronic parasitic infection by Trypanosoma cruzi” (Ramos, et al. 919). It was discovered in 1909 by a Brazilian researcher named Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano Chagas, which was where the disease obtained its name from. Chagas Disease has expanded from Latin America to other countries, including Mexico. Rural areas are at great risk of this of developing this disease, but migration has been a key factor for the expansion of it to growing countries like the United States.