After a trip to Peru, a couple bring in their 1-yr old daughter to the Emergency

Question

After a trip to Peru, a couple bring in their 1-yr old daughter to the Emergency Room. The infant has swelling around her left eye, centered around what looks to be a bug bite. She also has a fever, swollen lymph nodes and she is lethargic. The parents tell the doctor that there were a lot of bugs in the area and some of them may have bitten their daughter, but they weren’t sure. The doctor shows them a picture of a reduviid (kissing) bug and they agree that that is one bug that they know for sure were around in their bungalow. The doctor admits the baby for monitoring, but tells the parents that there is really nothing that can be done. The prognosis for the baby was good, but the doctor tells the parents that they will have to monitor her for the possibility of long-term neurological and cardiac affects. What does the infant have and what is the causative disease?

Explanation / Answer

The kissing bugs (Trypanosoma cruzi.) cause Chagas disease or trypanosomiasis when they enter into the blood circulation. They are named so because they like to bite around the mouth and face of the humans. Although this condition is asymptomatic in some of the patients, it can increase the risk of death by two to three times. So, the treatment is needed if infected by the kissing bug.

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