Tourists visiting different countries often have to face the risk of all kinds of diseases that are uncharacteristic of their home region. Especially dangerous is a visit to certain areas of Africa and America. After all, it is here that a common pathology is sleeping sickness and Chagas disease.

Causes of American Trypanosomiasis

Trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by trypanosomes, the simplest microorganisms that can only be examined through a microscope.

There are two varieties of trypanosomiasis: African and American.

The alternative name for American trypanosomiasis is Chagas disease (Chagas). The carrier of the disease is a triatom bug. Disease distribution area — Bolivia, Chile, Argentina.

African trypanosomiasis is also called sleeping sickness. Her peddler is a tsetse fly. Distribution area: Gabon, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Zambia. Sleeping sickness, in turn, is also divided into two varieties: Gambian is common in western Africa, and Rhodesian in the eastern part of the continent.

Carrier and causative agent of sleeping sickness

Both varieties of trypanosomiasis are united by one fact: these diseases are transmitted by insects.

 

The carrier of Chagas disease is considered a triatomic bug - the most dangerous member of the bug family. Numerous individuals live in close proximity to humans and attack him mainly in the dark.The blood-sucking apparatus of the bug penetrates the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes or lips of a person. It is for this reason that the insect received an additional name - a kiss bug. Saturated with human blood, the triatomic bug leaves its bowel movements at the site of the "crime". They contain a huge number of "culprits" of infection - trypanosomes. Left near the bite, they are selected to the damaged cover.

Overcoming the lymphatic barrier, these microorganisms are able to infect the nervous system. However, their main goal is the heart muscle - myocardium.

The causative agents of sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) are tsetse flies living in the vastness of Africa. Interestingly, not all individuals of these insects can become carriers of infections. Scientists cannot find a logical explanation for the fact that after a bite of some flies, a person remains healthy, but in a number of other cases, after contact with this insect, trypanosomiasis is found in patients. The risk zone most often includes people exposed to direct contact with the fly: fishermen and hunters, agricultural workers, etc.

As in the case of the triatom bug, trypanosomes penetrate the human body through the skin of a person damaged by the fly’s mouth apparatus. Spaced by the lymphatic flow, microorganisms first of all affect the lymph nodes. They develop inflammation, and after 20-25 days, the pathogen spreads with the bloodstream throughout the body. African trypanosomiasis can affect various internal organs.

Symptoms and signs of the disease

Symptoms of sleeping sickness and Chagas pathology are largely similar, although they have some differences.

 

If the tsetse fly was the carrier of the infection, the first symptoms in a person can appear after 2-3 weeks with the Gambian form, and 1-2 weeks with the Rhodesian.

The following phases of development of African trypanosomiasis are distinguished:

  1. Latent. Pathogens are concentrated exclusively in the place of introduction. It was during this period that the patient noted the appearance of the so-called trypanosomal chancre - compacted formations in the region of the lymph nodes.
  2. Hemolymphatic. It is characterized by attacks of fever, skin rashes, enlarged lymph nodes. Trypanosomes act on the nervous system, as a result of which a person has insomnia and headache.
  3. Meningoencephalitic. The final obstacle to trypanosomes is brain cells. Having broken through this defense, the pathogen provokes the final stage of development of African sleeping sickness.

Its main manifestations at this stage are as follows:

  • pronounced drowsiness during the day and restless behavior at night;
  • lethargy, apathy;
  • salivation;
  • cramps of the extremities, as well as their paralysis;
  • persistent headache;
  • gait change;
  • severe weight loss.

In especially advanced stages, the disease ends tragically.

Note. Gambian trypanosomiasis is considered relatively benign, since it takes a rather long period. Patients may not lose their performance for a long time. The Rhodesian form develops much faster, while disability leaves a person almost immediately. If untreated for a year, a fatal outcome is inevitable.

American trypanosomiasis in its incubation period and course is similar to the Gambian. Chagas disease is asymptomatic, sometimes it may not manifest itself for years and even decades. Often, pathology is not accompanied by signs of concern to a person, up to a sharp sensation of pain in one of the internal organs. Unfortunately, at a late stage, doctors can only state various irreversible changes in the organs. However, only 5-10% of the total number of the disease develops acutely and is accompanied by meningitis or severe heart failure.In such cases, the patient dies in a matter of days.

At the site of penetration of trypanosomes, the patient may experience compaction, accompanied by swelling or redness.

The main symptoms of American trypanosomiasis include:

  • pain in the heart;
  • dizziness;
  • heart palpitations;
  • fainting
  • heart failure.

Note. Once in the digestive system, trypanosomes can cause relaxation of the smooth muscle of the intestines. As a result, the small and large intestines together with the stomach can increase several times.

Diagnostic measures

Before proceeding with treatment, a specialist must find out the type of pathogen that provoked the disease. This is done through such events:

  • blood smear microscopy;
  • microscopy of the contents of lymph nodes, bone marrow;
  • determination of the site of penetration of the parasite into the body;
  • the behavior of immunological tests to detect the presence of antibodies to pathogens in the blood.

Trypanosomiasis Treatment

African trypanosomiasis amenable to therapy under the influence of drugs:

  • Melarsoprol;
  • Pentamidine;
  • Suramina;
  • Nitrofuran and its derivatives.

For the treatment of Chagas disease, the following medications are usually prescribed:

  • Benznidazole;
  • Nifurtimox.

Note. Under the condition of timely therapy, the patient can rely solely on remission, in other words, on eliminating the clinical manifestations of the pathology. Trypanosomes can dwell inside cells for a long time, for this reason it is not likely to get rid of them completely.

Precautions and Prevention

Trypanosomiasis prevention measures are as follows:

  • timely diagnosis and therapy of diseases;
  • isolation of patients;
  • examination of blood donors for the presence of a pathogen;
  • the prevention of disease vector attacks on humans;
  • chemoprophylaxis with pentamidine (relevant exclusively for the Gambian form).

Note. A vaccine that guarantees protection against trypanosomiasis has not been developed. Each individual pathogen contains antigenic proteins on the surface of the body, which change over generations, becoming insensitive to various drug effects.

Tropical diseases are a real scourge of European tourists. In order to prevent possible infection, people planning to travel to another country should visit the Institute of Tropical Diseases. During such a visit, you can get recommendations on the use of protective drugs or take the necessary vaccinations.

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