A nighttime “kiss” from a bug that casts a curse on its recipient in the form of a lifelong, and possibly fatal, illness. No, this isn’t some half-remembered fairy tale. It’s the true story of Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by many species of triatomines (aka kissing bugs). In this episode, we take you through the utterly complicated biology of Chagas disease in its acute and chronic forms, the surprising evolutionary and historical background of this parasite and the scientist for whom it’s named, and finally the grim reality that is the global status of Chagas disease today.
The dizzying ecological complexity and pathophysiological mystery of this disease makes it a challenge to study, and the lack of funding only compounds the issue; Chagas disease bears the dubious distinction of the most neglected of all the neglected tropical diseases. In spite of this, many people are dedicated to easing the global burden of Chagas disease, and we were delighted to interview two of these Chagas champions for this episode. Daisy Hernandez, Associate Professor at Miami University, joins us to discuss the inspiration for her recent book The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation’s Neglect of a Deadly Disease, and Dr. Sarah Hamer, Associate Professor at Texas A&M University, delves into the ecological aspects of this disease and shares the incredible community science program that raises awareness about T. cruzi and the bugs that transmit it.
To learn more, check out the links below:
Daisy Hernandez: website, Twitter (@daisyhernandez), Instagram (@iamdazeher), Facebook
Dr. Sarah Hamer: lab website, lab Twitter (@hamer_lab), Community Science Program
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ep 139 Supplements: “This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA”
Ep 138 Fever: Take it to the limit
Special Episode: Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens & Medical Bondage
Ep 137 ME/CFS: What’s in a name? (A lot, actually)
Ep 136 Long Covid: A long time coming
Ep 135 Menopause is whatever you want it to be
Ep 134 Tonsils: Underestimated and underappreciated
Ep 133 Parvoviruses: Who let the dogs (and their viruses) out?
Ep 132 Osteogenesis Imperfecta: All bones about it
Ep 131 Parkinson’s Disease: Dopamine & discoveries
Ep 130 Cocoliztli: We do love a salty dish
Ep 129 Lymphatic Filariasis: Hiding in plain sight
Ep 128 Skin Cancer: We love and fear the sun
Ep 127 Bhopal: The 1984 Union Carbide Disaster
Ep 126 Migraine: A Cacophony in Four Movements
Ep 125 Blastomycosis: How fungus became amongus
Ep 124 The full spectrum of color vision deficiency
Ep 123 Hand, Foot, and Mouth (and Butt?) Disease
Ep 122 Asthma: A phlegmy episode
Special Episode: Ed Yong & An Immense World
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Tenfold More Wicked