Sketchy Micro: Trypanosoma Cruzi Flashcards Preview

USMLE Step 1: Part 2 COPY > Sketchy Micro: Trypanosoma Cruzi > Flashcards

Flashcards in Sketchy Micro: Trypanosoma Cruzi Deck (7)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Where is T. cruzi commonly found?

A

In South America and central America (like Che Guevara, whom this scene is centered around)

2
Q

Trypanosoma cruzi causes ______________.

A

Chagas disease (like CHe’s GAS station behind his motorcycle)

3
Q

How is T. cruzi transmitted?

A

By the Reduviidae bug, also called the Kissing Bug because it bites around the patient’s mouth (like Che and the girl kissing)

Note: Trypanosoma is specifically in the bug’s feces, so the bug has to bite the skin and then defecate in the wound. People often scratch the wound and enhance the infection.

4
Q

What are the symptoms of Chagas disease?

A
  • Megacolon (like the swollen colon leading from the gas pump to the motorcycle)
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (like the floppy heart –same image as in the Coxsackie scene)
  • Achalasia (like the snake with the swollen esophagus)
5
Q

How can T. cruzi be diagnosed?

A

Via blood smear for active infections (like the blood on the ground) or serology for chronic infections

6
Q

Trypanosoma cruzi causes dilated cardiomyopathy by _______________.

A

burrowing into the endocardium (like the mole that has burrowed up from the ground)

7
Q

What can treat Trypanosoma infection?

A

Nifurtimox (like the knee-high moccasins worn by Che’s girlfriend)

Decks in USMLE Step 1: Part 2 COPY Class (142):