Oral Chagas disease outbreak by bacaba juice ingestion: A century after Carlos Chagas' discovery, the disease is still hard to manage.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Orally transmitted acute Chagas disease (ACD) primarily affects low-visibility and low-income individuals in tropical and subtropical zones. Managing ACD remains challenging even after more than 100 years of its discovery. Its spread to non-endemic areas has made it a global health issue. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the difficulties encountered in handling a real-life situation.

Methodology and findings

This report examines an outbreak of 39 cases of ACD due to oral transmission by bacaba juice ingestion that occurred in Pedro do Rosário, Maranhão, Brazil. A clinical and epidemiological investigation, including an entomological search, was conducted. Diagnosis criteria included positive peripheral blood smear (PBS), seroconversion of IgG, and a two-fold

SUBMITTER: Simoes-Neto EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11441692 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature