This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In the southern United States and across Latin America, kissing bugs can bite people and pets both outdoors and when they enter homes. While not every kissing bug carries disease, these insects can spread a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a tropical illness that can be fatal for both humans and animals.
Sarah Hamer, a professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and member of the Canine Chagas Collaborative, explains what kissing bugs are, signs of illness to watch for, when pet owners should contact a veterinarian and how to reduce exposure around the home. Kissing bugs are blood-feeding insects that can spread disease-causing organisms, much like mosquitoes and arachnids like ticks. They are found throughout the southern U.S., where they typically live in wildlife nests and burrows, as well as around woodpiles, rock piles and other sheltered spaces.
"Anywhere there is an easy source of blood, kissing bugs may live," Hamer said. These bugs can be recognized by their dark bodies, often with red or orange edge markings. Adult bugs can be about an inch (2.5 centimeters) long, while the immature nymphs are tiny and wingless, some as small as a grain of rice.
Texas A&M University's Kissing Bug Community Science program offers resources to help identify them. Kissing bugs are most active at night and are attracted to light, which can bring them closer to homes. They may enter houses, kennels and other structures, particularly where animals are present.
"Kissing bugs may feed by biting the face of a sleeping person; this is how they got their name," Hamer said. While a kissing bug bite itself may not cause serious harm or an allergic reaction, these insects pose a threat because they can carry Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. "For the two most common species of kissing bugs in Texas, over half of the adult insects are infected with the parasite," Hamer said.
Kissing bugs can transmit T. cruzi to humans, dogs, cats and other mammals by leaving traces of insect fecal matter behind while feeding; infections can occur when the feces enter the body through a wound (including those caused by the bug's bite) or the eyes or mouth. "Dogs and wildlife also can become infected through oral transmission," Hamer said. "The majority of dog and wildlife infections likely result from consumption of an infected kissing bug." Without widespread canine screening, it is hard to estimate the number of dogs that may be infected with the parasite.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
