U.S. Could Face Risk From Chagas Disease

[Guest guest]

For those that are new to achalasia, in Central and South America there

is an insect that bites people and infects them with a parasite that

causes Chagas disease. In those areas achalasia can be secondary to that

infection and not be the primary type most of us in this support group

have. Only a few cases of Chagas have been shown to have been caused by

insect bites in the US, and the type of the insect that spreads it is

different in the US from those south of the boarder. That may be

changing though.

Chagas may be a bigger problem than believed. According to new research

the variety of the insect that spreads it may be spreading into the US

and the parasite can be found in the insects in Arizona and California,

which also test positive for having bitten humans. The title is a bit

misleading being that the study seems to already be implying a risk for

at least those two states, even if a small risk at this time.

Because the insects native to the US behave differently from the ones

south of the boarder it was considered unlikely that they would transmit

the parasite while feeding (biting). The US variety could pass the

parasite to an animal if the animal ate the insect, its feces or another

infected animal. It is not clear to me how many, if any, of the insects

tested were the type found south of the boarder. Others have shown that

the parasite can be found in the US but confirmed transmission to humans

has been rare in the US.

With Climate Change, U.S. Could Face Risk From Chagas Disease

http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news & storyID=13395 & category=uvmhome

Prevalence of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in raccoons (Procyon lotor)

from an urban area of northern Virginia

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15986630

Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi among eleven potential reservoir species

from six states across the southern United States

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20020815

BTW: For those that are into contributing to distributed computing

projects, there are two projects that relate to Chagas.

World Community Grid (WCG)

Drug Search for Leishmaniasis

https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/research/dsfl/overview.do

Will this data also apply to Chaga's disease?

https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread_thread,32684

Folding@Home

http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-Diseases#ntoc9

http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Main

The project at WCG is new. The parasite that causes Leishmaniasis is

closely related to the one that causes Chagas so there is a good chance

that the data could apply to Chagas. Finding a cure for chagas could

stop many more cases of secondary achalasia than there are cases of

primary achalasia. I think we can all agree that would be nice even

though the data probably won't do anything for us with primary achalasia.

I don't know the status of the Folding@Home project. Again, this would

help those with chagas related secondary achalasia and not primary

achalasia.

notan

[Guest guest]

Hello notan,

That's one possible etiology that's been discussed.

Do you know of any genetic or DNA-based rationales?

Once I had some physicians write achalasia is " congenital " or stress-based.

No one in my family history has had achalasia, and I certainly wasn't stressed

out when I had the first symptoms.

Thanks for the help in sorting out the misnomers we have to deal with.

steve

>

> For those that are new to achalasia, in Central and South America there

> is an insect that bites people and infects them with a parasite that

> causes Chagas disease. In those areas achalasia can be secondary to that

> infection and not be the primary type most of us in this support group

> have. Only a few cases of Chagas have been shown to have been caused by

> insect bites in the US, and the type of the insect that spreads it is

> different in the US from those south of the boarder. That may be

> changing though.

>

> Chagas may be a bigger problem than believed. According to new research

> the variety of the insect that spreads it may be spreading into the US

> and the parasite can be found in the insects in Arizona and California,

> which also test positive for having bitten humans. The title is a bit

> misleading being that the study seems to already be implying a risk for

> at least those two states, even if a small risk at this time.

>

> Because the insects native to the US behave differently from the ones

> south of the boarder it was considered unlikely that they would transmit

> the parasite while feeding (biting). The US variety could pass the

> parasite to an animal if the animal ate the insect, its feces or another

> infected animal. It is not clear to me how many, if any, of the insects

> tested were the type found south of the boarder. Others have shown that

> the parasite can be found in the US but confirmed transmission to humans

> has been rare in the US.

>

> With Climate Change, U.S. Could Face Risk From Chagas Disease

> http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news & storyID=13395 & category=uvmhome

>

> Prevalence of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in raccoons (Procyon lotor)

> from an urban area of northern Virginia

> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15986630

>

> Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi among eleven potential reservoir species

> from six states across the southern United States

> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20020815

>

> BTW: For those that are into contributing to distributed computing

> projects, there are two projects that relate to Chagas.

>

> World Community Grid (WCG)

> Drug Search for Leishmaniasis

> https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/research/dsfl/overview.do

> Will this data also apply to Chaga's disease?

> https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread_thread,32684

>

> Folding@Home

> http://folding.stanford.edu/English/FAQ-Diseases#ntoc9

> http://folding.stanford.edu/English/Main

>

> The project at WCG is new. The parasite that causes Leishmaniasis is

> closely related to the one that causes Chagas so there is a good chance

> that the data could apply to Chagas. Finding a cure for chagas could

> stop many more cases of secondary achalasia than there are cases of

> primary achalasia. I think we can all agree that would be nice even

> though the data probably won't do anything for us with primary achalasia.

>

> I don't know the status of the Folding@Home project. Again, this would

> help those with chagas related secondary achalasia and not primary

> achalasia.

>

> notan

>