PubMed · 12803225
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Michelle Snow. 2003. Recognizing Chagas' disease.. https://doi.org/10.1097/00152193-200306000-00017
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Infection occurs when microbial agents enter the host, either through airborne transmission or by direct contact of a substance carrying the infectious agent with the host. Human body fluids, solid organs, or other tissues often are ideal vectors to support microbial agents and can transmit infections efficiently from donor to recipient. In the case of blood transfusion and tissue transplantation, the main consequence of such a transmission is infection of the recipient. However, in the case of solid-organ transplantation, and particularly for liver transplantation, donor infections are not only transmitted to the recipient, the donor infection also may affect the donated liver's preservability and subsequent function in the recipient irrespective of the systemic consequences of the infection. In addition, solid organ recipients of infected organs are less able to respond to the infectious agent because of their immunosuppressive treatment. Thus, transmission of infections from organ donor to liver recipient represents serious potential risks that must be weighed against a candidate's mortality risk without the transplant. However, the ever-increasing gap between the number of donors and those waiting for liver grafts makes consideration of every potential donor, regardless of the infection status, essential to minimize waiting list mortality. In this review, we will focus on assessing the risk of transmission of bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infectious agents from cadaveric liver donors to recipients and the effect such a transmission has on liver function, morbidity, and mortality. We will also discuss risk-benefit deliberations for using organs from infected donors for certain types of recipients. These issues are critically important to maximize the use of donated organs but also minimize recipient morbidity and graft dysfunction.
We have been searching for evidence of Chagas disease in mummified human remains. Specifically, we have looked for evidence of alteration of intestinal or fecal morphology consistent with megacolon, a condition associated with Chagas disease. One prehistoric individual recovered from the Chihuahuan Desert near the Rio Grande exhibits such pathology. We present documentation of this case. We are certain that this individual presents a profoundly altered large intestinal tract and we suggest that further research should focus on confirmation of a diagnosis of Chagas disease. We propose that the prehistoric activity and dietary patterns in Chihuahua Desert hunter/gatherers promoted the pathoecology of Chagas disease.