Dangerous ‘Kissing Bug’ Reported In 28 States: Facts To Know About The Bug

One of the potentially dangerous bugs, Triatomine, commonly known as "Kissing Bug" is now reported in 28 states in the United States.

The kissing bug is considered deadly because it carries and spreads a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which is capable of causing heart failure in human. The bug Triatomine gets its name because of its habit of biting people's lips and face while feeding on the blood when they are asleep, according to Syracuse.

The bug is about an inch long and feeds on mammals' blood. The bite of the insect is not dangerous but when the bugs that carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi defecate and the parasites infect the bite site, it becomes deadly resulting in Chagas disease.

"The bug has to be there, blood feed, and the parasite needs to be rubbed in, and that's a lot to have to happen...it's more rare for kissing bugs to feed on people than mosquitos to feed on people," said Sarah Hamer is an assistant professor of epidemiology at Texas A&M's veterinary and biomedical school, reported CNN.

The Chagas disease show flu-like symptoms with body aches, fever, fatigue, vomiting and loss of appetite. Though not all people that are bitten by the bug are infected by the parasite, about 20 to 30 percent that are infected could end up with chronic conditions. The disease could result in chest pain, difficulty in breathing, tiredness and sudden death in rare cases.

Hamer who said that increase in the awareness about the disease is good noted that the disease is not as terribly scary as people think. As in about 900 to 4,000 people that come in contact with the bug only one person contracts Chagas disease. "They might have thatched roof, or poorly insulated walls, and the bugs set up shop and feed on animals and people at home," Hamer said about the bug's habitat.