Kissing Bug - Not So Kind

This Kissing Bug gets its innocuous names for its habit of biting humans on and around the lips Typically found in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. kissing bugs are capable of carrying a parasite that causes Chagas disease, (see 2/22/13 post).

While cases have been extremely rare in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified it for “public health action.” In a recent study the CDC’s EmergingInfectious Diseases journal found that nearly 40 percent of kissing bugs collected in California and Arizona had recently fed on human blood. Researchers said the findings were unexpected because the 11 species of kissing bugs found in the United States were not known to feed on people.

These bugs feed on blood at night, generally from small mammals and birds but as noted above, sometimes humans as well.  The nymphs require a blood meal to support their growth and maturation. The insect’s feces can contain the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi which causes Chagas disease. Contact with infected feces, through an open wound, or through the eyes or mouth, can result in disease transmission.

Most people who are bitten by a kissing bug do not recall the bite and even fewer show any type of reaction.  Some, with particular skin sensitivities or allergic reactions to the bug’s saliva, will exhibit signs of itching and site swelling.

Dave's Pest Control
1-800-400-6009
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
Worcester County Pest and Rodent Exterminators
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: www.pestworld.org

About Chagas Disease

Chagas disease is named after the Brazilian physician Carlos Chagas, who discovered the disease in 1909. It is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors and is found only in the Americas (mainly, in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is widespread).

Chagas disease (T. cruzi infection) is also referred to as American trypanosomiasis. In the United States, Chagas disease is considered one of the Neglected Parasitic Infections, a group of five parasitic diseases that have been targeted by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for public health action.

Symptoms of Chagas disease include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, a rash where the parasite entered the body and swelling around the eyelids. With treatment by a medical professional these symptoms usually fade, but cardiac issues, intestinal problems, and other more serious complications can sometimes develop.

Dave's Pest Control
1-800-400-6009
A Central Massachusetts Extermination and Pest Control Company
Worcester County Pest and Rodent Exterminators
www.davespestcontrol.net

Reference: Centers for Disease Control (CDC)