‘Kissing Bugs’ That May Carry Deadly Parasite Found in the South
Chagas disease is spread by a parasite found in “kissing bugs.” (Photo: Getty Images/Universal Images Group)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that triatomine bugs, also known as “kissing bugs,” have been found in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, according to news reports. The bugs can carry a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes a potentially fatal disease called Chagas. The bugs are usually found in Mexico, Central America, and South America, and had been found in some border states, but are now being discovered in more southern states.
As Yahoo Health reported in September, more than 300,000 people in the U.S. are infected with T. cruzi — and most don’t know it, according to the CDC.
Chagas disease, which can lead to heart failure and intestinal complications, is also considered a “neglected parasitic infection,” by the CDC, meaning it has received relatively little attention, despite its risks. “It’s a disease that people are increasingly recognizing has an impact in the U.S.,” board-certified infectious disease specialist Amesh A. Adalja, MD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, previously told Yahoo Health. “The bugs clearly can cross the border.”
The disease is often transmitted from kissing bugs, which are known to bite people — usually on the face — while they’re sleeping. After they bite, they … poop on the person.
It’s the feces that cause the infection, Adalja says: People often become itchy after being bitten and scratch the area near the bite, which then allows T. cruzi (which is in the feces) to get into their system. They may also accidentally get the feces into their eyes or mouth, which can also lead to infection.
Once a person is infected, there are two phases of the disease: acute and chronic. The acute phase often has no symptoms, but can cause a person’s face or lymph nodes to swell and may cause a fever and headaches. If left untreated, the disease can become chronic, causing heart and intestinal complications.
There is currently no vaccine for Chagas disease, but Adalja says it can be effectively treated with drugs if caught early. Find more information on the CDC’s website.
Additional reporting by Korin Miller.
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