[Human activities and American trypanosomiasis. Review of the literature].
Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) is a parasite of wild mammals of Americas. It has been further transmitted to man through an insect vector belonging to the Reduviidae family. In the context of an ecoepidemiological study of this vector borne anthropozoonosis, a medical anthropological overview tries, by using data from literature, to clarify the different ways human activities play on the disease epidemiological cycle. The everyday human activities support domiciliation of triatomine bugs. But, the human intervention in the natural environment disturbs strongly the ecology of the vectors or hosts and leads to a new structuring of the natural foci of the disease with its displacement toward the human environment. The way society or individuals manage the disease plays also an important role. Some human activities, as building dwelling structures, have been well studied, but some others, such as the real impact of the human modes of production, are less known. A medical anthropology study of the role of human activities on the foci of Chagas disease is still needed.
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D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004463:Ecology; D006291:Health Policy; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006802:Human Activities; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D008018:Life Cycle Stages; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012239:Rhodnius / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology*