Dados do Trabalho

Título

CHARACTERIZATION OF CHAGAS DISEASE IN RURAL AREAS EXPOSED TO TRIATOMINAE SPECIES AT COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN, CHAGCOV PROJECT

Introdução

INTRODUCTION: American Trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease (CD) caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi represents a public health problem because it is part of the group of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). Chagas disease affects annually approximately 6 to 8 million people worldwide, with an estimate 50.000 deaths; likewise, between 60 to 100 million people live in risk areas around the world including Colombian Caribbean region. Part of the response for the control of CD is made by research groups in Tropical Medicine of the Colombian Caribbean searching in the vector, parasite presence and clinical disease in order to complete de identification of the disease in regions where surveillance is irregular by national authorities.

Objetivo(s)

OBJECTIVE: This project proposed to perform a surveillance and molecular and clinical identification of CD at the human settlements exposed to Triatominae species, and Chagas disease in rural municipalities of the Atlantic and Bolívar in Colombia.

Material e Métodos

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a descriptive epidemiological study of prevalence with prospective data collection. Patients with suspected diagnosis or risk factor of Chagas disease were included due their environmental risk of exposure to Triatominae located in the department of Bolívar and Atlántico such as the municipalities of the study. A serum sample was taken and / or whole blood for the application of serological and molecular tests aimed to characterize patients as carriers or not of IgG antibodies against T. cruzi.

Resultados e Conclusão

RESULTS: The results showed the serological profile of the recruited patients in relation to Chagas disease for the first time for these rural municipalities in Colombian Caribbean where the parasite and the transmitting vector of the disease has been described in the past. The surveillance identified Chronic Chagas Diseases cases in areas where the infection has not been reported in the past. Characterization in the communities showed high prevalence of lack of knowledge about the vector and the disease and any intervention related to prevention.
This information is important as a public health surveillance measure since, up to the date of this work, no cases of Chagas disease have been notified in government reports in the region of study, but there have been positive cases in neighboring municipalities.

Palavras-chave

CHAGAS DISEASE; TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI ; TRIATOMINAE SPECIES; COLOMBIA; NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASE