Autochthonous acute Chagas’ disease in São Paulo State, Brazil: Epidemiological aspects

• Main Authors: Ricardo Mário de Carvalho CIARAVOLO, Maria de Fátima DOMINGOS, Dalva Marli Valério WANDERLEy, Laércio José GERBI, Pedro Paulo CHIEFFI, Benedito Anselmo Peres, Eufrosina Setsu UMEZAWA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 1997
• Subjects: American Trypanosomiasis; Trypanosoma cruzi; Epidemiology; Acute Chagas’ disease; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/521a72e370e54cf89514d0c52775b58a

Since the beginning of the seventies the natural transmission of Chagas’ infection has been considered to be under control in the State of São Paulo and not even a case of American Trypanosomiasis, transmitted by triatomine bugs, has been detected by the epidemiological surveillance system. This situation justifies the report of a case of acute Chagas’ disease that occurred in a forest area considered free of domiciliary triatomines along the Southern seacoast of São Paulo State. In May, 1995 the presence of trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi had been diagnosed in a retired 57 year-old male patient, born and living in Santos (São Paulo State), complaining of fever, fatigue and malaise. The patient reported that 40 days before he had participated with 17 friends in a 7-day excursion in a forest area of the municipalities of Itanhaém and Peruíbe. During this period the group had been lodged in three houses located within the forest. Eight days after the end of the excursion the patient began to have fever, malaise and fatigue. During the next 31 days he had received medical care both as an inpatient and an outpatient, without any significant improvement. After the detection of T. cruzi trypomastigotes in his blood stream the patient began to be treated with benzonidazole in a hospital but died 8 days after the beginning of treatment. The epidemiological investigation carried out showed no signs of the presence of triatomine bugs in the three houses where the group had been lodged, or any indication of Chagas' infection in other excursionists