Chagas' disease

Chagas' disease
Cha·gas' disease 'shäg-əs-(əz-) n a tropical American disease that is caused by a protozoan of the genus Trypanosoma (T. cruzi) transmitted by reduviid bugs esp. of the genus Triatoma, that has an acute form primarily affecting children and marked by chagoma, fever, edema, enlargement of the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes, and sometimes by myocarditis, and that also has a chronic form which may or may not follow an acute episode, progresses over time, and is marked esp. by cardiac and gastrointestinal complications (as myocarditis, ventricular hypertrophy, megacolon, or megaesophagus)
Chagas Carlos Ribeiro Justiniano (1879-1934)
Brazilian physician. Early in his career Chagas undertook a malaria control campaign that used pyrethrum to disinfect households and that proved to be the first successful campaign against malaria in the history of Brazil. During 1909 and 1910 Chagas discovered and described the disease named after him. He discovered that it is caused by a species of trypanosome transmitted by bloodsucking reduviid bugs and that it is manifested by fever and edema and later by cardiac disturbances. He also described its epidemiology and some of its pathogenic hosts.

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a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma. It is transmitted to humans when the trypanosomes, present in the faeces of nocturnal bloodsucking reduviid bugs, come into contact with wounds and scratches on the skin or the delicate internal tissues of the nose and mouth. The presence of the parasite in the heart muscles and central nervous system results in serious inflammation and lesions, which can prove fatal. The disease, limited to poor rural areas of South and Central America, is especially prevalent in children and young adults. It may be treated with nifurtimox. See also trypanosomiasis.
C. Chagas (1879-1934), Brazilian physician

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Chagas' disease — n. [Carlos Chagas, a physician in Brazil, 1879 1934] a form of trypanosomiasis caused by infection with {Trypamosoma cruzi}, found principally in South America. It is transmitted by certain species of reduviid bugs, and has natural reservoirs in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Chagas' disease — [shä′gəs] n. [after Carlos Chagas, Brazilian physician who identified it (1909)] a type of trypanosomiasis, common in Central and South America, caused by a parasite (Trypanosoma cruzi) that is carried by reduviid insects, and characterized by… …   English World dictionary

  • Chagas disease — Classification and external resources …   Wikipedia

  • Chagas' disease — /shah geuhs/, Pathol. an infectious disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, occurring chiefly in tropical America and characterized by irregular fever, palpable lymph nodes, and often heart damage. Also called American trypanosomiasis …   Universalium

  • chagas' disease — (also Chagas s disease) n. a kind of sleeping sickness caused by a protozoan transmitted by blood sucking bugs. Etymology: C. Chagas, Braz. physician d. 1934 …   Useful english dictionary

  • Chagas disease — Cha·gas disease (chahґgəs) [Carlos Justiniano Ribeiro das Chagas, Brazilian physician, 1879–1934] see under disease …   Medical dictionary

  • Chagas' disease — a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It is transmitted to humans when the trypanosomes, present in the faeces of nocturnal bloodsucking reduviid bugs, come into contact with wounds and scratches on the skin or the… …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Chagas' disease — noun Etymology: Carlos Chagas died 1934 Brazilian physician Date: 1912 a tropical American disease that is caused by a trypanosome (Trypanosoma cruzi) and is marked by prolonged high fever, edema, and enlargement of the spleen, liver, and lymph… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Chagas'disease — Cha·gas disease (shäʹgəs) n. A South American form of trypanosomiasis caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi that is characterized by fever and enlargement of the spleen and lymph nodes.   [After Carlos Chagas (1879 1934), Brazilian… …   Universalium

  • Chagas' disease — [ tʃα:gəsɪz] noun a disease caused by a trypanosome transmitted by bloodsucking bugs, endemic in Central and South America and causing damage to the heart and central nervous system. Origin early 20th cent.: named after the Brazilian physician… …   English new terms dictionary

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