The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseasesStitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Science
The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseases
Stitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Tropical medicine
_S. cruzi_ is found in the blood of children during the acute febrile
stage but at other times in children, and as a rule in adults, it is
rarely present in the peripheral blood. The early blood forms are
narrow and very motile. They increase in size and slacken in motility
when they become about 20 microns long. _S. cruzi_ is characterized
by a very large blepharoplast. Dividing forms are never seen in the
blood. The common site of multiplication is in the cells of the
voluntary muscles and heart and also in the cells of the central
nervous system, adrenals, and bone marrow. In these tissues the
flagellate takes on a rounded form and undergoes binary division.
Continued division converts the infected cell into a cyst. It is this
process going on in various important structures that accounts for
the extreme variation in symptomatology and pathology.
Chagas thinks that the gametes for the cycle in _Lamus_ arise
from parasites developing in the lungs of the vertebrate host.
Flagellated parasites enter the lungs, lose the flagellum and
become oval in shape, later on dividing into 8 parts. These assume
an elongated form and enter the red cells of the host. Against this
is the statement of various observers that the flagellates are only
to be found free in the plasma, never within red cells. The forms
taken up by _Lamus_ multiply in the intestine and then pass to the
salivary glands after about 8 days. The bug is then infectious when
it bites. Brumpt notes that infection may occur from inoculation of
the faeces passed by the bug, especially through the conjunctiva.
=Symptomatology.= _Acute types._—This form of the disease usually
occurs in children under one year of age. The period of incubation is
about ten days. It is attended by a high continued fever which may
show a slight morning drop. There is marked puffiness of the face and
enlargement of the thyroid. The lymphatic glands and spleen are also
enlarged. The case may give the picture of a meningitis in which form
the disease is exceedingly fatal. During the febrile period parasites
are to be found in the blood but in the afebrile intervals which
alternate with the febrile ones parasites are not present.
_Chronic Types._—The type of the disease as seen in adults is
mainly chronic. They often show enlargement of the thyroid and
manifestations of myxoedema. The lymphatic glands are enlarged. Where
the adrenal is attacked we have the syndrome of Addison’s disease.
In the cardiac types there are present various forms of cardiac
irregularities.
In the cerebral types various neurological manifestations may be
noted.
An irregular fever may accompany the signs of involvement of the
various important organs.
The disease is attended by a marked anaemia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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