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Chagas disease is one of the most important public health problems in America, involving triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) in the vectorial transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi (Protista: Kinetoplastea: Trypanosomatidae). In Argentina, 15 species of triatomines are distributed, of which seven are the most common in the domicile and peridomicile, while the rest are mainly associated with wild environments. Due to the lack of updated data of geographic distribution, the GeoVin Project arises to provide not only a triatomine digital tool of triatomine notification, but also resources with information about Chagas and triatomine vectors. The aim of this paper is to present, describe and highlight the progress of the project, emphasizing the principles of participatory science and entomological surveillance. So far, more than 2,300 web visits have been recorded and the application has been downloaded over 3,400 times. The contribution of the project in articulating with the corresponding government health agencies and the immediacy of the interaction with the community are key elements for the project success. At the same time, the information collected is a constant input for updating the geographical distributions of Argentinian triatomines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects many people in Latin America. A blood test is the preferred method to generate a diagnosis of the disease; however, it is a time-consuming process, since it requires a lot of effort by experts to analyze large quantities of samples in the search of the presence of parasites. Implementation of automatic systems that facilitate the detection of the parasite in images of blood samples captured by microscope is very useful. Therefore, in this review article, the different scientific papers that use machine learning techniques to detect and segment the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi in digital images are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we show an extended model that describes the dynamic interaction between the immune response of a mammal and Tripanosoma cruzi parasite during the acute phase of a Chagas Disease. The model considers the immune and cellular response, plus the different stages (intracellular and extracellular) of T. cruzi inside of a mammal host. The analysis of the time evolution of populations is made obtaining phase diagrams to determine the stability of the steady states in terms of its parameters. The system gives two steady states, which are associated with the Healing and Chronic state of the disease. The dead case obtained before when only the humoral immune response is considered it gets disappeared. The fundamental implication of this result is the benefit that the cellular immune response produces for the host as for the parasite, since it allows to extend the life of the host, while extending the critical state of the disease without destroying the habitat of the parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a short review of the discovery of Chagas disease and the current information of the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the disease observed in Peru. With the discovery of Trypanosoma cruzi in the blood of a child in 1909, the isolation of the etiologic agent in experimental animals and the finding of similar parasites in the intestinal content of triatomines, Carlos Chagas determined the parasite's life cycle and, clinical symptoms of this new entity designated as Chagas disease. Eight years after Dr Carlos Chagas discovery (1917), Dr. Edmundo Escomel born in Arequipa, reported the presence of Triatoma infestans in the valleys of Arequipa department and after two years the first human case of Chagas disease from Madre de Dios. In Peru, have been described 19 species of triatomines, and several studies show guinea pig "cuy" as the most important reservoir of the parasite. The endemic areas are present in the south, north and northeast, mainly the Amazonian area. Recently, Tacna has been declared free of vectorial transmission and we hope others parts of the country could receive similar certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper gathers elements that lead to understanding of how the questions, categories, ways of thinking and values of people who have Chagas disease, resident in urban areas from Argentina, intervene as part of the phenomenon "urbanization of Chagas disease". Objective. To evaluate the conceptions on Chagas of people with positive Chagas serology, who reside in the Metropolitan area of La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and to evaluate the impact in their daily lives of such conceptions and of the "chagasic" condition itself. Materials and methods. We used a qualitative approach and tried to understand, by means of semi-structured interviews, the perception of their situation and their thoughts in terms of the healthdisease interaction process. Results. We identified conceptions and practices that these individuals create in order to face this particular problem; also identifying the perception they have of their condition and how this affects the development of their daily life. Their speeches are crossed by dimensions linked with certain fears and also with the naturalization of the problem generally accompanied by an attitude of resignation faced with the inevitable. Conclusions. We consider the survey as an important input coming directly from people affected by Chagas, since they provide the basis for developing didactic resources and strategies aimed at placing the problem in public agendas, optimizing the therapeutic communication and promoting the analysis of this problem in spaces of formal and non formal education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neem's tree has been studied from the chemical point of view since it provides more than 300 chemical compounds. Its oil can be transformed in biodiesel. One of its main properties is bioinsecticide activity. Since it has larvicidal activity it might be used to control the vector of fastidiousness. As it was proved that kills the parasite which produces Chagas disease, it appears as a promissory tree to use it for productive and social objectives in our country. The aim of the present paper was to delimit the capable zone for culturing of this specie, giving special emphasis to marginal areas. For that it was worked with bioclimatic necessities and biophysical limits of the species and climate data of Argentina for period 1961-2000. The overlapping of layers containing information about the spatial variability of bioclimatic indexes allowed us to obtain the map of agroclimatic aptitude for the Neem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]