Symptoms include sudden difficulty breathing, throat swelling, a fast heart rate, and dangerously low blood pressure. Severe allergic reactionįor some people, a kissing bug bite may result in a severe acute allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The CDC estimates that about 300,000 people in the United States have Chagas disease, and most have picked up the disease while traveling. Kissing bugs can be found in the southern United States, but despite Southern hospitality, these genteel bugs only rarely carry the Chagas-causing parasite. Kissing bugs (triatomines) are bloodsucking insects that are found primarily throughout the Americas. Kissing bugs are members of the Order Heteroptera, or true bugs, and the family Reduviidae. Kissing bugs are also known as triatomines, conenose bugs, or chinches. At this point, there’s no longer a way to cure the disease.įor many people, symptoms never pop back up, but for some, they do - even a decade or more later! The CDC estimates that 20 to 30 percent of people who have the disease may experience severe - even fatal - symptoms at some point years later.Ĭhagas disease is most commonly found in South America, Central America, and Mexico, where an estimated 8 million people have the disease. Kissing bugs are insects that can carry a parasite that causes Chagas disease. While your overall health may seem a-OK, the parasite remains in your body. To cure the illness, it’s crucial to receive treatment at this phase.Īs the number of parasites in your blood decreases, your symptoms will improve. As the parasites circulate in your blood, you may start to feel like you have a very mild case of the flu, complete with aches, pains, fever, swollen lymph nodes, or even a rash. FAQ You ask, we answer We have gotten a LOT of questions over the past several years. But if you do, the disease has two phases.ĭuring the acute phase, you may not have any symptoms. KISSING BUGS & CHAGAS DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES A Community Science Program Please explore to learn more about kissing bugs, the parasite they transmit, and how you can submit your insects and observations to our research program. Not everyone who’s bitten by a kissing bug will get Chagas disease. Scratching or rubbing the bite increases the likelihood of transferring the feces or urine into your body.
The only species of kissing bug known to occur in Utah is the western conenose bug (Triatoma protracta), and it is not commonly found.
#Kissing bugs skin
Chagas diseaseĪs mentioned earlier, kissing bugs’ urine and feces are known to carry a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which can cause Chagas disease.įor the bug to pass the disease to a human, the bug’s feces or urine has to enter through your eyes, nose, mouth, or any other opening in your skin - including the bite itself. Kissing bugs are a type of true bug, in the assassin bug family, that feeds on the blood of vertebrates. In rare cases, kissing bug bites can result in more severe symptoms.
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