If you live in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Virginia, South Carolina or Tennessee it’s important to understand Chagas disease. Nancy Scanlan, DVM, CVA, shares information on disease symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
In dogs, the primary area to be infected is the heart, but sometimes the nervous system is also involved. The trypanosomes cause a high level of inflammation by destroying the cells of the heart, and by giving off chemicals that cause inflammation.
Source: Animal Wellness, May 31, 2019. Link.
Trypanosoma cruzi, a one-celled microorganism, lives in the digestive tract of the kissing bug and is found in their feces. After an infected kissing bug bites a dog (or person), it turns around and defecates on the bite. The trypanosomes then enter the body through the bite.
Also see: Dangerous ‘kissing’ bug marches North in U.S., Web MD, April 26, 2019. Link.
Also see: About Chagas disease, CDC. Link.