Chagas disease (;,,,, mal de Chagas in both languages ; also called American trypanosomiasis ) is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi.

The symptoms of Chagas disease vary over the course of an infection.

After 4 – 8 weeks, individuals with active infections enter the chronic phase of Chagas disease that is asymptomatic for 60 – 80 % of chronically infected individuals through their lifetime.

The currently available antiparasitic treatments for Chagas disease are benznidazole and nifurtimox, which can cause temporary side effects in many patients including skin disorders, brain toxicity, and digestive system irritation.

Chagas disease is contracted primarily in the Americas, particularly in poor, rural areas of Mexico, Central America, and South America ; very rarely, the disease has been found in the Southern United States.

It is estimated that as many as 11 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, most of whom do not know they are infected.

Large-scale population movements from rural to urban areas of Latin America and to other regions of the world have increased the geographic distribution of Chagas disease, and cases have been noted in many countries, particularly in Europe.

An acute Chagas disease infection with swelling of the right eye ( Romaña's sign ).

Gross anatomy of a heart that has been damaged by chronic Chagas disease-see also:: Image: Heart radiology Chagas disease. JPG | Chagas heart, radiology

It usually occurs unnoticed because it is symptom-free or exhibits only mild symptoms that are not unique to Chagas disease.

The most recognized marker of acute Chagas disease is called Romaña's sign, which includes swelling of the eyelids on the side of the face near the bite wound or where the bug feces were deposited or accidentally rubbed into the eye.

Of individuals with chronic Chagas disease, 60 – 80 % will never develop symptoms ( called indeterminate chronic Chagas disease ), while the remaining 20 – 40 % will develop life-threatening heart and / or digestive disorders during their lifetime ( called determinate chronic Chagas disease ).

In 10 % of individuals, the disease progresses directly from the acute form to a symptomatic clinical form of chronic Chagas disease.

Diogo das Chagas also referred to an initial settlement of 30 people, under contract of Terceirenses Antão Vaz and Lopo Vaz de Azevedo ( 1508 – 1510 ), who had little success on Corvo ; they eventually returned to Terceira in 1515, leaving António Silveira de Machado in charge.

By 1643, Friar Diogo das Chagas claimed the parish was inhabited by 2126 people.

By 1643, Friar Diogo das Chagas, noted that 305 people lived in the community.

It supports efforts to strengthen national health systems, develop national health research systems, control malaria, Chagas ' disease, urban rabies, leprosy, and other diseases that affect the people of the Americas.

* Manuel Chagas ( possibly living ), a Portuguese Olympic fencer

* Pedro Chagas Freitas ( living ), a Portugese writer, journalist, writing teacher and public speaker

In areas where Chagas disease occurs ( from the southern United States to northern Argentina ), all triatomine species are potential vectors of the Chagas disease parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, but only those species ( such as Triatoma infestans and Rhodnius prolixus ) that are well adapted to living with humans are considered important vectors.

Blood donations in all endemic Latin American countries undergo Chagas screening, and testing is expanding in countries, such as France, Spain and the United States, that have significant or growing populations of immigrants from endemic areas.

Chagas disease in Latin America ( Endemic ( epidemiology ) | endemic zones )

An estimated 41, 200 new cases occur annually in endemic countries, and 14, 400 infants are born with congenital Chagas disease annually.

Worldwide, however, the most common cause is Chagas ' disease, an illness endemic to Central and South America that is due to infection by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi.

Mepraia is a genus in the subfamily Triatominae, endemic of Chile, and vector of Chagas disease.

Chagas disease is a growing problem in Europe, because the majority of cases with chronic infection are asymptomatic and because of migration from Latin America.

Chronic Chagas disease remains a major health problem in many Latin American countries, despite the effectiveness of hygienic and preventive measures, such as eliminating the transmitting insects.

While this species carries the parasite that can cause Chagas disease, it rarely infects humans as defecation is delayed 20 – 30 minutes after feeding, in contrast to the immediate defecation behavior displayed by the Latin American species.

The other human form of trypanosomiasis, called Chagas disease, causes 21, 000 deaths per year ( mainly in Latin America ).

While these tests are not required in US, an estimated 75 – 90 % of the blood supply is currently tested for Chagas, including all units collected by the American Red Cross, which accounts for 40 % of the U. S. blood supply.

* Chagas disease ( American trypanosomiasis ), another human tropical disease caused by trypanosomes

The three major human diseases caused by trypanosomatids are ; African trypanosomiasis ( Sleeping Sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei ), South American trypanosomiasis ( Chagas Disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi ), and leishmaniasis ( a set of trypanosomal diseases caused by various species of Leishmania ).

* some protozoal infections, such as toxoplasmosis and American trypanosomiasis ( Chagas disease )

A more serious problem than their bites is the fact that several of these haematophagous Central and South American species transmit the potentially fatal trypanosomal Chagas disease, sometimes called American trypanosomiasis.

* Human American trypanosomiasis, transmitted by the assassin bug infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, see Chagas disease

When Oswaldo Cruz died, in 1917, the Institute, which by then already bore his name, was nationally consolidated through important scientific achievements, such as Carlos Chagas ’ description of the complete cycle of the American trypanosomiasis including the clinical pattern of the disease.

As a consequence of this national campaign, other arthropods were either eliminated or significantly reduced in number, including the reduviid big responsible for Chagas disease ( American Trypanosomiasis ) and T. penetrans.

In Spain, donors are evaluated with a questionnaire to identify individuals at risk of Chagas exposure for screening tests.

While the rate of cure declines the longer an adult has been infected with Chagas, treatment with benznidazole has been shown to slow the onset of heart disease in adults with chronic Chagas infections.

It is also known to be associated with many conditions, some of which are: CADASIL syndrome, depression, Alzheimer's disease, Chagas ' disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, dementia, Korsakoff's syndrome, excessive vitamin D ; hypothyroidism ; hyperthyroidism ; general fatigue ; Huntington's disease ; Pick's disease ; progressive supranuclear palsy ( PSP ); schizophrenia ; schizoid personality disorder ; bipolar disorder, and others.

João Roque, Leonel Miranda, Joaquim Agostinho and Marco Chagas, among others, all shone in cycling in Portuguese as well as foreign events, with Agostinho achieving an impressive third place in the Tour de France, second place in the Tour of Spain and three victories in the Tour of Portugal – dying on the 10th of May 1984 in a crash caused by a dog while he was racing in his yellow jacket in the Algarve on behalf of Sporting.

In the beginning of the 17th-Century Diogo das Chagas, referred to the villa of Santa Cruz as the " head of the island " and the center of the administration, noting " village ... is very well located with the best port on the island ...".

; with surname Das Chagas

Garapa has been recently involved in a widely publicized episode in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, when at least 49 tourists were infected with Chagas disease by drinking garapa most likely produced at roadside stalls.

In his journal for 25 March 1835, while to the east of the Andes near Mendoza, he noted " an attack ( for it deserves no less a name ) of the Benchuca, a species of Reduvius, the great black bug of the Pampas ", a member of the Triatominae which are associated with Chagas ' disease.

20 % of Chagas patients, with cardiomegaly and ventricular tip aneurysm ) accompanied by lung edema.

He believed that Chagas disease contracted during the Beagle voyage was consistent with Darwin's account of his fever at that time and his later gastrointestinal complaints, as well as the heart disease later in life that led to Darwin's death.

In addition, Helicobacter pylori which often occurs with Chagas would have caused Darwin to have peptic ulcer disease.