A parasitic illness from 'kissing bugs' that bite your face at night is spreading — here's how to tell those insects apart from other bugs - Chron

A parasitic illness from 'kissing bugs' that bite your face at night is spreading — here's how to tell those insects apart from other bugs - Chron

A parasitic illness from 'kissing bugs' that bite your face at night is spreading — here's how to tell those insects apart from other bugs - Chron

Posted: 25 Apr 2019 08:49 AM PDT

Aylin Woodward, provided by

Published
  • Triatomine, or the kissing bug. >>>See bugs to expect during the summer months & how to deal with them. Photo: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Handout Photo / handout
    Triatomine, or the kissing bug.

    >>>See bugs to expect during the summer months & how to deal with them.

    Triatomine, or the kissing bug.

    >>>See bugs to expect during the summer months & how to deal with them.

    Photo: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Handout Photo

Photo: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Handout Photo

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Triatomine, or the kissing bug.

>>>See bugs to expect during the summer months & how to deal with them.

Triatomine, or the kissing bug.

>>>See bugs to expect during the summer months & how to deal with them.

Photo: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Handout Photo

In July 2018, a family from Kent County, Delaware reported that a bug had bitten their daughter's face while she was watching TV in the evening.

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Based on a photograph, the Delaware Department of Agriculture identified the insect as Triatoma sanguisuga, a type of "kissing bug" that can transmit a parasitic illness called Chagas disease. The bugs latch onto human (and animal) faces to suck their blood. The bugs then tend to defecate after they bite, which can lead their parasite-containing feces to enter the victim's bloodstream.

If Chagas disease is not treated, 30% of patients can develop potentially life-threatening heart and gut complications. But many people don't show signs of infection, which is why some researchers consider Chagas disease to be a silent killer.

The Delaware girl, fortunately, did not contract the illness. But her case prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue a report warning people about the risks of Chagas.

Read More: A dangerous parasitic illness spread by 'kissing bugs' that bite people's faces at night is continuing to spread in the US

Many other bugs — particularly stink bugs — look similar to kissing bugs, which can sometimes lead to confusion. For those concerned about whether any kissing bugs are lurking in their home, here's what to look out for.

The differences between stink bugs and kissing bugs 

According to experts at Texas A&M University, kissing bugs can be recognized by their cone-shaped head, thin antennae, and long, thin legs. Overall, the insects are shaped like tear drops.

Stink bugs are less svelte than kissing bugs, with more block-shaped heads and bodies, as well as thicker legs and antennae.

In the US, kissing bugs are typically black or very dark brown, with distinct red, orange, or yellow stripes around the edges of their bodies. Stink bugs lack that splash of bright color, and are usually a lighter shade of brown.

Size-wise, kissing bugs are also bigger than most stink bugs. Stink bugs tend to be about half an inch long, while kissing bugs sometimes reach an inch in length (just bigger than a penny).

Then, of course, there's the biggest difference: stink bugs won't bite you, while kissing bugs do. Kissing bugs' mouth-parts extend well beyond their heads. Just before feeding, the bug extends its proboscis and inserts it into the host. The tiny tip is serrated like a knife, which helps it cut through skin.

However, kissing bug bites are generally painless (given that the insects' goal is to bite and feed without being noticed), and therefore hard to detect.

How to prevent a kissing bug infestation

Typically, Chagas disease is found and contracted in Latin America. Kissing bugs prefer warmer climates, and generally congregate in sheltered wood piles or rodent nests. They usually hide during the day then emerge and become active at night to feed.

Kissing bugs can be found in the US, too — they are most common in warmer states like Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, though the bugs have been reported in at least 28 states. There are at least 11 species of kissing bugs in the US; some of those transmit Chagas, but not all kissing bugs spread the parasite.

So far, the CDC has only documented a few cases of Chagas disease from contact with the bugs in the US. 

To lower your risk of encountering a kissing bug, the CDC recommends that any outdoor lights be located away from dwellings (including from your house, an outdoor dog kennel, or a chicken coop). Remove any piles of trash, wood, and rock piles from around your home, and seal up cracks or gaps around windows, air conditioners, walls, roofs, doors, and crawl spaces. The CDC also suggests closing chimney flues when they're not in use and using screens on all doors and windows.

Texas A&M experts warn people to never touch kissing bugs with their bare hands. Because the parasite that causes Chagas disease is found in kissing bugs' feces, and their bodies could be contaminated.

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'Kissing bug' defecates in face, kills heart muscle — near NJ - New Jersey 101.5 FM Radio

Posted: 29 Apr 2019 09:10 AM PDT

An insect that carries a dangerous parasitic illness has been confirmed in another state neighboring New Jersey.

Chagas disease, which has been diagnosed in 300,000 people in at least 30 states, is spread by the triatomine insect, known as the "kissing bug." It had spread to Pennsylvania as of last summer. Now, The CDC has confirmed that the insect also was found in Delaware, dating back to July 2018.

In a release just this month, the CDC confirmed a family that lives near a heavily wooded area of that state requested help from officials, after noticing a bite on their daughter's face last summer.

The girl did not become ill, but the bug was positively identified as a kissing bug.

"What they tend to do is they like to go for the face, hence the name kissing bug, and they will bite you on the face or around the eye," Dr. Ted Louie, an infectious disease expert with the Medical Society of New Jersey, previously told New Jersey 101.5.

Chagas disease can cause serious cardiac and gastrointestinal complications. The parasite that carries it is actually spread through the feces of the kissing bug, which may be rubbed into the wound that is caused by the insect's bite.

"Oftentimes, one of the classic signs is that you get swelling above your eye, and then there's an acute illness, which is fever and muscle aches," Louie said.

Other early symptoms can include fatigues, a rash and headache.

Dr. Rachana Kulkarni, a New Jersey cardiologist with the American Heart Association, said many people who may get Chagas don't experience symptoms until years later.

"The most common conditions are cardiomyopathy, which is the heart kind of gets ballooned, and then the parasite starts killing the heart muscle and it leads to heart failure."

She said the parasite will start replacing the heart muscle with scar tissue and this can lead to an aneurysm. Patients can have irregular and sometimes fatal heart rhythms.

"We need to instill screening processes, and clinicians and physicians need to be aware of this so it can be treated properly," Kulkarni said.

Louie said if you live in a modern house or apartment, the chances of getting Chagas are slim, but if you spend time in more rural areas or if you go camping, the risk increases.

He said if you suspect you might have been bitten by a kissing bug you should seek medical help as soon as possible because different anti-parasitic medications have been shown to have a good success rate.

The CDC estimates that the large majority of those with Chagas disease in the United States were infected in the parts of Central and South America where the disease typically is found.

Not all triatomine bugs are infected with the parasite.

CDC officials also said the likelihood of human infection from contact in the U.S. is low, even when the bug is infected.

​
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