Kissing bugs—also known as conenose or barber bugs—transmit the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi to humans, which causes Chagas disease.
For instance, when a person scratches the bite, the parasites may enter the wound and into the bloodstream. The CDC warned that the illness can potentially lead to sudden death in some individuals.
The agency concluded there was sufficient evidence to declare that the country is now considered endemic for Chagas disease.
There are an estimated 300,000-plus Americans infected with these parasites, with 45,000 in Los Angeles alone, UCLA said in its post, adding that fewer than 2 percent know they carry the parasites.
According to UCLA, many individuals with Chagas disease remain asymptomatic during the illness’s acute and chronic phases.
In the acute phase, infected individuals may experience severe swelling of the eyelids. Shaun Yang, a professor of clinical microbiology at UCLA, said this is “almost a hallmark of acute Chagas infection.”
Other symptoms in the acute phase include vomiting, body aches, fever, diarrhea, and fatigue. However, since these symptoms could be confused with other illnesses, many individuals fail to determine whether they are infected with the parasites, UCLA said.
The chronic phase, which can last a person’s entire life, presents more challenges, with around 20 percent of impacted individuals developing serious digestive and heart issues, according to UCLA.
If the illness is left untreated, it “kills the heart very slowly,” Yang said.
Individuals who travel to Mexico, South America, and Central America, as well as people from these regions, must test for the illness in case they experience any heart issues, he added.
Yang advised people who visit Latin American regions to sleep under a net as a precaution against getting bitten by kissing bugs.
“The kissing bugs in the endemic area—Latin America—almost all of them carry the parasite,” he warned.
The situation in the United States varies, with bugs in Los Angeles less likely to carry parasites while insects in Texas were found carrying them, according to UCLA.
Judith Currier, chief of infectious diseases at UCLA Health, said that “most people living with Chagas disease are unaware of their diagnosis, often until it’s too late to have effective treatment.”
Exposure and Treatment
The World Health Organization estimates that more than 7 million people globally, mostly in Latin America, get infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths annually.This can happen through contaminated blood products during transfusions, contaminated food or drink, lab accidents, or an organ transplant from an infected donor, said the agency.
In indoor spaces, these bugs can hide in the cracks of walls and the roof during the day. Outdoors, the bugs may be seen between rocky structures, chicken coops, rodent nests, animal burrows, and under cement.
In the United States, the bugs “rarely infest homes because houses are well-sealed and have plastered walls. However, finding them indoors, especially younger, wingless nymphs, may indicate an infestation,” the CDC said.
“If these bugs are inside, they are often found near where pets sleep, where rodents are present, or around beds and bedrooms, especially under or near mattresses or nightstands.”
There are two main treatments recommended in the United States for Chagas disease.
The first is an antiparasitic treatment that aims to kill the parasite causing the illness, according to the CDC.
The second is a symptomatic treatment focused on helping manage the signs and symptoms of the infection, it says.
