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The kissing bug is the popular name for the triatomine bug, a blood sucking insect that tends to attach to the faces of sleeping victims. This insect carries the parasite Trypanososma cruzi which causes Chagas’ disease. Normally found predominately in Central and South American as well as Mexico, now this bug and its potentially deadly baggage is spreading across the United States. As of this date, cases of Chagas’ disease have occurred in 8 states: Texas, California, Arizona, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi and Arkansas. The bad news is that these kissing bugs have been seen in 32 states.

If the bug bites you on the face and you rub the bite, you are likely to rub some of the bug debris containing the Trypanosoma parasite into your skin. As the parasite sets up shop, you will develop Chagas disease, acute phase, with fever, eyelid swelling, fatigue, body aches, rashes, swollen glands, appetite loss, diarrhea, and vomiting. This acute phase and demands immediate diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics.

Should you fail to recognize the signs and symptoms and the parasite persists untreated, , the Chageas disease moves into the chronic phase. It invades your heart and esophageal tissues. Years later, you develop heart failure, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, difficulty swallowing, and severe constipation. At this point, the parasite cannot be eliminated and only the symptoms can be treated.

As usual, the best treatment is prevention. Since there is no vaccine for Chagas’ disease, you must take precautions to avoid the kissing bugs. That includes use of insect repellent, wearing clothes that cover, staying in bug-free rooms with screening and/or air conditioning, and avoiding of possibly contaminated raw fruits and vegetables.

https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/kissing-bug-disease-spreading-in-us-cdc-report-says/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chagas-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356212

#kissingbugs #chagas #parasite #trypanosomiasis #triatomine