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Most of the world’s kissing bugs are in Central and South America and Mexico. They’ve also been found in the United States in the lower 28 states, with higher concentrations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Kissing bugs have been spotted a far north as Delaware, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Do kissing bugs live in the US?
Kissing bugs are found throughout the Americas. In the United States, kissing bugs are found in 29 states. Eleven different kinds of kissing bugs are in the United States. Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona are the states with the most different species and most findings of kissing bugs.
Where is Chagas in the US?
Vector-borne transmission of Chagas disease occurs in the Americas, including the southern half of North America, where the specific vector insects (triatomines), T. cruzi, and infected reservoir mammalian hosts are found.
What do you do if you find a kissing bug in your house?
If you find a kissing bug, the CDC recommends you do not touch or squash it. To help understand the problem and how many carry the disease, the CDC is asking for help. They suggest you place a container on top of the kissing bug for 24 hours, and then seal the bug inside the container.
Can you get Chagas disease in the US?
CDC estimates that more than 300,000 persons with Trypanosoma cruzi infection live in the United States. Most people with Chagas disease in the United States were infected in the parts of Latin America where Chagas disease is found.
Are kissing bugs found in Florida?
The parasitic ‘Kissing Bug’s’ real name is the Triatomine bug, and it exists here in Florida, and throughout much of the southern United States. (It has been identified in 28 states so far.) The insect got its nickname because they often bite their victims (hosts) on the face- often near the lips, or near the eyes.
What happens if you squish a kissing bug?
It’s best to NOT squish a bug, but sometimes it happens! After the bug is squished, do not touch the bug with your bare hands. The T. cruzi parasite may be in the feces of kissing bugs, and their bodies may have the parasite on them.
How common is Chagas disease in Texas?
Chagas in Texas From the years 2013-2016, 91 cases of Chagas disease were reported in Texas. Of those cases, 20 people were infected while in Texas, and the other cases were probably acquired outside of Texas or the U.S. While there are not very many cases, many people may be living with the disease and not know it.
What is the survival rate of Chagas disease?
The standardized mortality rate decreased 32.4%, from 3.4% in 2000 to 2.3% in 2010. Most of the deaths (85.9%) occurred in male patients who were > 60 years of age caused by cardiac involvement.
How long can you live with Chagas?
If untreated, infection is lifelong. Acute Chagas disease occurs immediately after infection, and can last up to a few weeks or months. During the acute phase, parasites may be found in the circulating blood. This phase of infection is usually mild or asymptomatic.
Where do kissing bugs lay their eggs?
Bugs can hide in cracks and crevices in the mattress, bed frame, and box spring. They can spread into cracks and crevices in the room and lay their eggs.
How does the kissing bug locate its human prey?
1. How does the kissing bug (e.g., Rhodnius sp., Triatoma dimidiate ) locate its human prey? These bugs defecate on the person later they bite and ingest blood. If Trypanosome cruzi parasites in the bug feces enter the body through mucous membranes or breaks in the skin that person can get infected.
How do you identify a kissing bug?
The bugs have brown or black wings, sometimes with a ring of red, orange, or yellow stripes on the edge. They’re usually ½- to 1-inch-long, about the size of a penny. They’re also called cone-nosed bugs, bloodsuckers, cinches, and triatomine bugs. Like mosquitoes and ticks, kissing bugs need blood to live.
Are stink bugs the same as kissing bugs?
These bugs feed on the blood of animals and humans, and tend to bite human faces. Kissing bugs look similar to stink bugs, but stink bugs are typically smaller and lack the red, orange, or yellow stripes of color that you can see on kissing bugs.
Is Chagas curable?
Today Chagas disease is treatable. Therapy is highly effective if given during the acute phase of the disease and less effective when administered during the chronic phase. This is why early diagnosis is so important. In infants aged under 1 year, treatment achieves a complete cure.
How many cases of Chagas are there in the US?
What is already known about this topic? Most of the estimated 300,000 cases of Chagas disease (caused by Trypanosoma cruzi infection) in persons living in the United States were acquired in countries where the disease is endemic.
Is there Chagas in Florida?
Infected triatomine bugs and infected reservoirs, such as raccoons, have been identified in Florida. However, the risk of local transmission to people in Florida is low. There have been cases of local transmission in Texas, Tennessee, California, and Louisiana.
Are assassin bugs in North America?
What is an Assassin Bug? North America, and more than 3,000 worldwide, they all share one notable characteristic: a curved, dagger-like mouthpart known as a rostrum or proboscis, which is used to kill prey.
What does a kissing bugs bite look like?
The bite isn’t distinctive, either. It looks like any other bug bite, except there’s usually a cluster of bites together in one spot. People who are sensitive to the kissing bug’s saliva may experience a reaction to the bite. This is usually only mild itching, redness, and swelling.
