据美国《纽约时报》近日报道，一种由吸血昆虫引发的致命疾病正在美洲大陆蔓延，因为感染者在患病初期与艾滋病患者的症状类似，有专家把它称为美洲国家面临的“新型艾滋病”威胁。
这种疾病其实名叫查加斯病，是一种由单细胞寄生虫造成、由昆虫叮咬传播的热带疾病。被感染后，患者会出现心脏和食道组织发炎，约四分之一的患者会出现心脏或肠道过度肥大，进而引起心跳骤停或猝死。
根据PLoS Neglected Tropical Disease近日发表的一篇文章，美国贝勒医学院的热带病专家称，这种疾病目前在美洲的爆发形态十分类似于早期艾滋病的传播，因此也查加斯病也被叫作了“新型艾滋病”。
同艾滋病一样，查加斯病可通过血液或母婴传播，而且通常具有一个很长的潜伏期。除非患者发现得早，并经过3个月的大剂量药物治疗，否则基本不可能治愈。
目前美洲大陆已有约800万人感染上了这种“新型艾滋病”，大部分分布在墨西哥、中美、玻利维亚和哥伦比亚。其中美国的感染人数已经达到30万。
而据泛美卫生组织称，查加斯病是一种“穷人的疾病”，在贫穷区域发病率较高。由于危害大、感染人数多以及难以预防等特点，美国疾病预防控制中心已经将其列为五大被忽视的寄生虫感染疾病之一。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001498
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Chagas Disease: “The New HIV/AIDS of the Americas”
Peter J. Hotez1,2*, Eric Dumonteil3, Laila Woc-Colburn2,4, Jose A. Serpa2,4, Sarah Bezek2,5, Morven S. Edwards2,6, Camden J. Hallmark2,7, Laura W. Musselwhite8, Benjamin J. Flink8, Maria Elena Bottazzi1,2
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are among the most common conditions afflicting the estimated 99 million people who live on less than US$2 per day in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region [1]. Almost all of the “bottom 100 million” living in the Americas suffer from at least one NTD [1], and according to some estimates, the NTDs cause a burden of disease in the LAC region that closely approximates or even exceeds that resulting from HIV/AIDS [2]. Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is a vector-borne disease and a leading cause of the deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost that result from NTDs in the LAC region [2]. With approximately 10 million people living with Chagas disease, this condition is one of the most common NTDs affecting the bottom 100 million in the region, a prevalence exceeded only by hookworm and other soil-transmitted helminth infections [1], [2]. Moreover, among the NTDs in the Americas, Chagas disease ranks near the top in terms of annual deaths and DALYs lost [1], [2].
