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. 1980 Jan 26;122(2):165-9, 171-2.

Tropical diseases encountered in Canada: 1. Chagas' disease.

H Schipper, B M McClarty, K E McRuer, R A Nash, C J Penney
PMCID: PMC1801746  PMID: 6767543

Abstract

Chagas' disease, or South American trypanosomiasis, is an endemic South American disease now being seen in Canada in both acute and chronic forms. It is characterized by an initial parasitemia that elicits a brisk immune response. Evidence is mounting that the debilitating chronic form, which is characterized by cardiac and visceral organ failure, results from antigenic cross-reactivity between the parasite and the human host, which generates an aberrant, destructive, cell-mediated immune response. Diagnosis, treatment and potential areas for investigation are discussed.

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Selected References

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