October 9, 1998

Loyola professor seeks to halt spread of Chagas Disease

Twenty-five percent of the population of Central and South America are at risk of Chagas Disease, a leading cause of heart disease in this part of the world. Currently 16 ­ 18 million people are infected and 50,000 people die each year from this disease which is caused by a parasite. The parasite is transmitted to humans by the Triatomid bug or “kissing bug,” so called because it comes out at night and usually bites on the face. Once inside the body the parasite proliferates. The initial symptoms of infection are not easily detected and, if the disease is not treated in the first few months, there is no known treatment available. What is most insidious about the disease is that the person who is unknowingly infected may not develop the disease for 20 to 30 years.

While the Triatomid bug is found in the United States, less than a handful of cases of transmission have been reported. However, contamination of the blood supply is of concern since contaminated blood has been found in blood banks in the United States. Assistant Professor of Biology at Loyola, Patricia Dorn, Ph.D., has been working for over six years on ways of diagnosing and controlling the parasite that causes Chagas Disease. Dorn’s work has been carried out with 10 undergraduate students at Loyola and in collaboration with colleagues at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala. Undergraduate students Vanessa Rouzier, Jeff Cuppy, and Candice Millro are working on understanding the genetic structure of the bugs that carry the disease. Vanessa Rouzier received a $1,600 grant from the American Heart Association to support her research and will be presenting her results at the annual American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in Puerto Rico this month.

“We have helped to improve the diagnosis of Chagas Disease by developing a simple method to preserve blood samples collected in rural areas for later diagnosis in the laboratory,” says Dorn. “We have also optimized a DNA-based method to identify the parasite in patients and in bugs. This method is significantly more sensitive than previous methods in certain Triatomids.” She and her students are pursuing a new project in which they are analyzing different populations of Triatomids. She has found that although most Triatomid bugs in Guatemala look similar, there may be different varieties of insects that have different abilities to transmit the parasite. If this is proven, such information will be helpful in designing programs to control the spread of the disease.

Funding for Dorn’s research has come from several sources including the American Heart Association, LA Affiliate, the Loyola University Faculty Research Grants, the Student Government Richard Frank Grants, the Mullahy Fund of the Biological Sciences Department, and the Japanese International Cooperation Association. She has recently submitted a grant to the National Institutes of Health on the new project on the Triatomids. Dorn hopes to start an exchange program with the University of San Carlos in Guatemala for both students and professors. She says that San Carlos University has the facilities and personnel that would make such a program possible. In doing so, she hopes to create more meaningful experiences for students and at the same time further the research that will help control the spread of Chagas Disease.

–Legia Coyi, A’98, intern in the Office of Public Affairs