The cone-nosed 'kissing bug' is a dangerous insect that likes to suck the blood out of its victims's eye or mouth area. This triatomine has many species and usually looks for victims at night. Bright lights and the carbon dioxide emitted from human and animal breath lure and attract the kissing bug.
On its own, a kissing bug's bite may merely serve as an irritant that results to a mild until moderate swelling. A more severe reaction may result when the victim is given to allergies.
What makes the kissing bug truly dangerous is the parasite it carries called the Trypanosoma cruzi, which lives in the bug's digestive system. Once the kissing bug feeds, it offloads its faeces either on the human or animal it just bit or on any surface it touches. The faeces may contain the parasite and lodge it in the body of a person or an animal through any wound openings or membranes or the eyes. The parasite may also be unwittingly ingested. Either way, the parasite consequently infects the victim with Chagas disease.
The Chagas disease may manifest an immediate reaction such as a swelling or allergic reaction. Without treatment, the parasite will become a resident in the victim's body: "Once the bug gets to you, it goes though the body and sets up quiet housekeeping ... in particular the heart... It smoulders there for many years, anywhere from 20 to 30 years," says infectious disease expert Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the kissing bug is responsible for around 300,000 cases of the Chagas disease across at least 28 states in the US.
Experts at the Texas A&M University caution against touching the kissing bug with unprotected hands. Instead use of gloves and sealable containers are recommended to avoid risk of contact with the Trypanosoma cruzi. A thorough cleanup, possibly with bleach, of any surface the bug may have touched is also advised. Because the kissing bug has many varieties, bringing the bug or bugs in a sealed container may help medical doctors and clinicians to find the best course of treatment.
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