Kissing bug found in Louisiana can spread potentially deadly disease: heres what to know
The insects are called “kissing bugs” because they often bite humans around the mouth area. They are attracted to the human face because of the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath.
“Chagas disease is transmitted through the feces of a kissing bug,” according to Dr. Aaron R. Ashbrook, assistant professor of urban and peri-urban entomology at LSU.
He said the bug poops out digested blood that contains the parasite responsible for Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi.
Symptoms of Chagas disease include fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. If those affected rub the parasite around their eye, it could swell.
“Long-term infections of Chagas disease can be deadly because of the heart-associated effects, such as an enlarged heart, heart attack, heart disease, and sudden death,” Ashbrook said.
Heart failure and digestive problems can also be long-term effects of the disease.
The assistant professor said there are cases of Chagas disease reported in Louisiana from time to time. Ashbrook added that the disease is not something that the Louisiana Department of Health regularly tests for.
“Several of the cases in the state are local, but some are related to travel,” he stated.
According to the CDC, kissing bugs are found in at least 32 states.
Kissing bugs have the common name, “cone-nose bugs,” because they have cone-shaped heads, Ashbrook said.
They are primarily nocturnal and feed upon their hosts while they are at rest.
For an insect, they are capable of consuming a lot of blood, Ashbrook said.
He noted kissing bugs are more associated with wild animals than humans. Despite this, the bugs remain a concern for pets and humans.
Louisiana residents will find them in outdoor dog kennels, wood piles that contain animal burrows, raccoon dens, or rodents.
In your home, you may find them close to your pets and in cracks or gaps in infrastructure, Ashbrook said.
The bugs feed on different types of wildlife, including rodents, reptiles, livestock, birds, and raccoons.
If you do come in contact with a kissing bug, seek a medical provider. Ashbrook said they will determine whether you are infected through a blood sample.
He said if you are able to, capture the bug so it can later be identified. “It is recommended that a person put on gloves, then a bag is placed over the insect, then closed so that the person is protected,” Ashbrook stated.
The assistant professor says other parts of the world have more issues with these bugs compared to the United States.
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