If Chagas disease was news to you until recent headlines, you were not alone. Sometimes called the “kissing bug disease,” it’s caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) and is spread by insects that often bite near the mouth or eyes while a person sleeps.
For years, Chagas was considered primarily a rural health issue in Latin America, where thatch roofs and mud walls make it easier for the bugs to colonize homes. In the United States, these insects mostly live outdoors and primarily feed on wild animals. As a result, the parasite circulates mostly in an enzootic cycle—between bugs and wildlife—not in homes. Human infection is relatively rare.
