texascavers Digest 6 Dec 2012 22:09:11 -0000 Issue 1675
Topics (messages 21101 through 21105):
Re: Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in Texas
21101 by: [email protected]
21102 by: Lyndon Tiu
21103 by: Aimee Beveridge
21104 by: Lyndon Tiu
21105 by: Geary Schindel
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--- Begin Message ---
From what I've heard it has no immediate symptoms and shows up years later as
heart complications. I'm glad I usually sleep in my truck or tent.
Ryan Monjaras
"Semper Exploro"
Maverick grotto
Cowtown grotto
DFW grotto
UT grotto Secretary
Bexar grotto
Greater Houston Grotto
TSA
TCMA
Sent from my HTC EVO 3D
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Like all diseases (incl. AIDS), the kill rate is not 100%:
Quoted from wiki:
" ... Of individuals with chronic Chagas disease, 60–80% will never
develop symptoms (called *indeterminate* chronic Chagas disease), while the
remaining 20–40% will develop life-threatening heart and/or digestive
disorders during their lifetime (called *determinate* chronic Chagas
disease). ... "
On Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 3:36 PM, [email protected] <[email protected]>wrote:
> From what I've heard it has no immediate symptoms and shows up years later
> as heart complications. I'm glad I usually sleep in my truck or tent.
>
> Ryan Monjaras
> "Semper Exploro"
> Maverick grotto
> Cowtown grotto
> DFW grotto
> UT grotto Secretary
> Bexar grotto
> Greater Houston Grotto
> TSA
> TCMA
>
> Sent from my HTC EVO 3D
>
>
--
Lyndon Tiu
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I am sure this was pointed out earlier but being bitten isn't the problem. Its
oral or open wound contact with the infected feces.
________________________________
From: rafal kedzierski <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]; texas cavers tc <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, December 6, 2012 2:29 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in
Texas
Just throwing gas on the fire of complexity of life, I just want to point out
that Trypanosoma cruzi or causitive factor in Chagas disease is not only
trypanosome in the environment. Most of them are not directly harmful to H.
sapiens. Therefore, before anyone jumps to any conclusion, how specific is the
PCR used by Baylor College of Medicine for Trypanosoma cruzi? Where PCR primers
used for detection tested against other related protozoa? Have the primers
withstood the test of clinical practice?
Rafal Kedzierski
DFW caver
________________________________
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 14:18:40 -0600
Subject: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in Texas
Folks,
Back in June, I collected four kissing bugs from the Deep and Punkin preserve
in Edwards County, Texas. This was in support of some research being conducted
by the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine. Two
of the bugs were captured in the cabin and two were captured around the porch
areas. Here is the email recently sent to me by Kristy Orsburn Murray a
researcher at Baylor.
We finally were able to develop and establish the PCR for testing the insects
for Chagas. We ran the PCRs yesterday. I wanted to let you know that 3 of the
4 kissing bugs were positive, including the blood fed triatomine. It was still
alive when we received it, and it had defecated in the Ziploc baggie. We took
the feces separate from the insect and also ran PCR, and the feces was
positive. This was the insect that said it was found under a rug in one of the
cabins. We are running a blood meal analysis on it to see if we can identify
the source of the blood meal. If human, do you know who was in that cabin at
the time of the collection? Perhaps we should test those of you who might be
exposed to these insects. With such a high percentage positive, the risk for
transmission of Chagas could be high.
Let me know if you have any questions. We are happy to help.
Best wishes
Kristy
I suspect that the results from the bugs collected at the Deep Cabin are not
unique to south Texas and that many of these bugs are positive. I have five
additional bugs from Bexar County that will be submitted for testing. Chagas
is not a nice disease and I suspect that a number of cavers who have camped out
in the hill country over the years have been exposed. Below are some links on
Chagas information.
It is a personal decision on whether you should get tested and where and how
you sleep. I’m sure this will create some lively discussions.
Geary Schindel
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Chagas-disease-carrier-may-be-threat-in-Texas-3650719.php
(From San Antonio Express News)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease (From Wikipedia)
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/ (From Centers for Disease
Control)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chagas-disease/DS00956 (From Mayo
Clinic)
http://www.who.int/topics/chagas_disease/en/ (From World Health
Organization)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Shit!
On Thu, Dec 6, 2012 at 4:03 PM, Aimee Beveridge <[email protected]> wrote:
> I am sure this was pointed out earlier but being bitten isn't the
> problem. Its oral or open wound contact with the infected feces.
>
>
>
> *From:* rafal kedzierski <[email protected]>
> *To:* [email protected]; texas cavers tc <
> [email protected]>
> *Sent:* Thursday, December 6, 2012 2:29 PM
> *Subject:* RE: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing
> bugs in Texas
>
> Just throwing gas on the fire of complexity of life, I just want to
> point out that Trypanosoma cruzi or causitive factor in Chagas disease is
> not only trypanosome in the environment. Most of them are not directly
> harmful to H. sapiens. Therefore, before anyone jumps to any conclusion,
> how specific is the PCR used by Baylor College of Medicine for Trypanosoma
> cruzi? Where PCR primers used for detection tested against other related
> protozoa? Have the primers withstood the test of clinical practice?
>
> Rafal Kedzierski
> DFW caver
>
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 14:18:40 -0600
> Subject: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in
> Texas
>
> Folks,
>
> Back in June, I collected four kissing bugs from the Deep and Punkin
> preserve in Edwards County, Texas. This was in support of some research
> being conducted by the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College
> of Medicine. Two of the bugs were captured in the cabin and two were
> captured around the porch areas. Here is the email recently sent to me by
> Kristy Orsburn Murray a researcher at Baylor.
>
> We finally were able to develop and establish the PCR for testing the
> insects for Chagas. We ran the PCRs yesterday. I wanted to let you know
> that 3 of the 4 kissing bugs were positive, including the blood fed
> triatomine. It was still alive when we received it, and it had defecated
> in the Ziploc baggie. We took the feces separate from the insect and also
> ran PCR, and the feces was positive. This was the insect that said it was
> found under a rug in one of the cabins. We are running a blood meal
> analysis on it to see if we can identify the source of the blood meal. If
> human, do you know who was in that cabin at the time of the collection?
> Perhaps we should test those of you who might be exposed to these insects.
> With such a high percentage positive, the risk for transmission of Chagas
> could be high.
> Let me know if you have any questions. We are happy to help.
> Best wishes
> Kristy
>
> I suspect that the results from the bugs collected at the Deep Cabin are
> not unique to south Texas and that many of these bugs are positive. I have
> five additional bugs from Bexar County that will be submitted for testing.
> Chagas is not a nice disease and I suspect that a number of cavers who have
> camped out in the hill country over the years have been exposed. Below are
> some links on Chagas information.
>
> It is a personal decision on whether you should get tested and where and
> how you sleep. I’m sure this will create some lively discussions.
>
> Geary Schindel
>
>
>
> http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Chagas-disease-carrier-may-be-threat-in-Texas-3650719.php(From
> San Antonio Express News)
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease (From Wikipedia)
>
> http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/ (From Centers for Disease
> Control)
>
> http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chagas-disease/DS00956 (From
> Mayo Clinic)
>
> http://www.who.int/topics/chagas_disease/en/ (From World Health
> Organization)
>
>
>
>
>
--
Lyndon Tiu
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Mark,
>From what I heard, it makes you want to crawl under a rock, seek out dark
>places, swim through deep water, camp on the ground in the heat and cold,
>cover yourself with mud, volunteer for crazy projects that no one else would
>think of doing unless paid lots of money, drink lots of alcohol, and tell tall
>tales.
Here is the information from the CDC web page.
Geary
Disease
Romaña's sign, the swelling of the child's eyelid, is a marker of acute Chagas
disease. The swelling is due to bug feces being accidentally rubbed into the
eye, or because the bite wound was on the same side of the child's face as the
swelling. Photo courtesy of WHO/TDR.
Chagas disease has an acute and a chronic phase. If untreated, infection is
lifelong.
Acute Chagas disease occurs immediately after infection, may last up to a few
weeks or months, and parasites may be found in the circulating blood. Infection
may be mild or asymptomatic. There may be fever or swelling around the site of
inoculation (where the parasite entered into the skin or mucous membrane).
Rarely, acute infection may result in severe inflammation of the heart muscle
or the brain and lining around the brain.
Following the acute phase, most infected people enter into a prolonged
asymptomatic form of disease (called "chronic indeterminate") during which few
or no parasites are found in the blood. During this time, most people are
unaware of their infection. Many people may remain asymptomatic for life and
never develop Chagas-related symptoms. However, an estimated 20 - 30% of
infected people will develop debilitating and sometimes life-threatening
medical problems over the course of their lives.
Complications of chronic Chagas disease may include:
· heart rhythm abnormalities that can cause sudden death;
· a dilated heart that doesn't pump blood well;
· a dilated esophagus or colon, leading to difficulties with eating or
passing stool.
In people who have suppressed immune systems (for example, due to AIDS or
chemotherapy), Chagas disease can reactivate with parasites found in the
circulating blood. This occurrence can potentially cause severe disease.
From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 2:47 PM
To: Geary Schindel; rafal kedzierski; texas cavers tc
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in
Texas
Geary,
Could you or Rafal list the symptoms here?
Thanks,
Mark
From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 2:46 PM
To: 'rafal kedzierski'; texas cavers tc
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in
Texas
Rafal,
I've forward your question to Krista and told her I would be happy to post a
response.
Thanks,
Geary
From: rafal kedzierski [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 2:29 PM
To: Geary Schindel; texas cavers tc
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in
Texas
Just throwing gas on the fire of complexity of life, I just want to point out
that Trypanosoma cruzi or causitive factor in Chagas disease is not only
trypanosome in the environment. Most of them are not directly harmful to H.
sapiens. Therefore, before anyone jumps to any conclusion, how specific is the
PCR used by Baylor College of Medicine for Trypanosoma cruzi? Where PCR primers
used for detection tested against other related protozoa? Have the primers
withstood the test of clinical practice?
Rafal Kedzierski
DFW caver
________________________________
From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 14:18:40 -0600
Subject: [Texascavers] Results of testing for Chagas in Kissing bugs in Texas
Folks,
Back in June, I collected four kissing bugs from the Deep and Punkin preserve
in Edwards County, Texas. This was in support of some research being conducted
by the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine. Two
of the bugs were captured in the cabin and two were captured around the porch
areas. Here is the email recently sent to me by Kristy Orsburn Murray a
researcher at Baylor.
We finally were able to develop and establish the PCR for testing the insects
for Chagas. We ran the PCRs yesterday. I wanted to let you know that 3 of the
4 kissing bugs were positive, including the blood fed triatomine. It was still
alive when we received it, and it had defecated in the Ziploc baggie. We took
the feces separate from the insect and also ran PCR, and the feces was
positive. This was the insect that said it was found under a rug in one of the
cabins. We are running a blood meal analysis on it to see if we can identify
the source of the blood meal. If human, do you know who was in that cabin at
the time of the collection? Perhaps we should test those of you who might be
exposed to these insects. With such a high percentage positive, the risk for
transmission of Chagas could be high.
Let me know if you have any questions. We are happy to help.
Best wishes
Kristy
I suspect that the results from the bugs collected at the Deep Cabin are not
unique to south Texas and that many of these bugs are positive. I have five
additional bugs from Bexar County that will be submitted for testing. Chagas
is not a nice disease and I suspect that a number of cavers who have camped out
in the hill country over the years have been exposed. Below are some links on
Chagas information.
It is a personal decision on whether you should get tested and where and how
you sleep. I'm sure this will create some lively discussions.
Geary Schindel
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Chagas-disease-carrier-may-be-threat-in-Texas-3650719.php
(From San Antonio Express News)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagas_disease (From Wikipedia)
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/ (From Centers for Disease
Control)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chagas-disease/DS00956 (From Mayo
Clinic)
http://www.who.int/topics/chagas_disease/en/ (From World Health
Organization)
--- End Message ---
