‘Kissing Bug’ Could Bring Kiss of Death While You Sleep

0
678
bug often bites people in the face at night while they’re sleeping
bug often bites people in the face at night while they’re sleeping

NORTH CAROLINA — A deadly bug that often bites people in the face at night while they’re sleeping is being talked about across America.

Known as the “kissing bug”, it feeds on human blood and leaves behind a parasite that causes Chagas disease.

1415502193287_wps_7_A_deadly_illness_from_abr

Triatomine bugs (also called reduviid bugs, “kissing” bugs, assassin bugs, cone-nosed bugs, and blood suckers) can live indoors, in cracks and holes of substandard housing.

They are typically found in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America (as far south as southern Argentina). The map below details triatomine occurrence by U.S. state.

triatomine_map_sm (1)

Eleven different species of triatomine bugs have been found in the southern United States.

Triatomines are primarily nocturnal and feed on the blood of mammals (including humans), birds, and reptiles. Triatomine bugs live in a wide range of environmental settings, generally within close proximity to a blood host. In areas of Latin America where human Chagas disease is an important public health problem, the bugs nest in cracks and holes of substandard housing.

Because most indoor structures in the United States are built with plastered walls and sealed entryways to prevent insect invasion, triatomine bugs rarely infest indoor areas of houses. Discovery of immature stages of the bug (wingless, smaller nymphs) inside may be an indication of infestation.

More info here.

Facebook Comments