Dr. Granados Researches Little Known Kissing Bug Disease

Have you heard of Chagas disease? Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, Assistant Professor from the Division of Environmental Health at San Diego State’s School of Public Health, has recently been awarded a 5-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure
that more people, especially physicians, know more about this potentially fatal and neglected disease. She recently launched a webinar series that provides talks by Chagas disease experts across the US and free continuing medical education using the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) model: https://wp.uthscsa.edu/echo/echo-programs/chagas-disease/

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted via an insect called a triatomine (commonly referred to as the “Kissing Bug”). Some of the most serious health problems associated with the disease affect the heart. Chagas disease is a chronic, stigmatizing condition that affects nearly 8 million people globally. Although historically the disease was thought to only be limited to areas of Latin America, researchers like Granados are now observing local transmission in the Southern United States. There is concern about a lack of surveillance and overall knowledge about the prevalence of the disease. Often called the “silent killer,” Chagas disease is characterized by a long, asymptomatic phase in affected individuals. It is during this phase that the disease is treatable. However, due to the lack of symptoms, approximately 30% of infected individuals will not know they are infected and go on to develop chronic Chagas heart disease if left untreated.

Dr. Granados is working with local San Diego Navy entomologists to research Kissing Bugs found on military installations in the area, including Camp Pendleton, El Centro, and Yuma, Arizona. They are collecting specimens and working with the US Army Public Health Command Central to test the bugs and do further genetic sequencing to find out more about how they are feeding. The team is also testing human blood samples from military personnel working and living on these military bases for Chagas disease.

Very little is known about this disease, especially here in Southern California. Dr. Granados and the team, which includes School of Public Health Director Dr. Eyal Oren, and Dr. Jenny Quintana, hope that improving our understanding and increasing surveillance will lead to better public approaches to addressing this disease.