Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 May;127(5):421-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.12.017. Epub 2014 Jan 4.

Free-roaming kissing bugs, vectors of Chagas disease, feed often on humans in the Southwest

Stephen A Klotz  1 , Justin O Schmidt  2 , Patricia L Dorn  3 , Craig Ivanyi  4 , Katherine R Sullivan  5 , Lori Stevens  5
Affiliations

Free-roaming kissing bugs, vectors of Chagas disease, feed often on humans in the Southwest

Stephen A Klotz et al. Am J Med. 2014 May.

Abstract

Background: Kissing bugs, vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, are common in the desert Southwest. After a dispersal flight in summer, adult kissing bugs occasionally gain access to houses where they remain feeding on humans and pets. How often wild, free-roaming kissing bugs feed on humans outside their homes has not been studied. This is important because contact of kissing bugs with humans is one means of gauging the risk for acquisition of Chagas disease.

Methods: We captured kissing bugs in a zoological park near Tucson, Arizona, where many potential vertebrate hosts are on display, as well as being visited by more than 300,000 humans annually. Cloacal contents of the bugs were investigated for sources of blood meals and infection with T. cruzi.

Results: Eight of 134 captured bugs were randomly selected and investigated. All 8 (100%) had human blood in their cloacae, and 7 of 8 (88%) had fed on various vertebrates on display or feral in the park. Three bugs (38%) were infected with T. cruzi. Three specimens of the largest species of kissing bug in the United States (Triatoma recurva) were captured in a cave and walking on a road; 2 of 3 (67%) had fed on humans. No T. recurva harbored T. cruzi.

Conclusions: This study establishes that free-roaming kissing bugs, given the opportunity, frequently feed on humans outside the confines of their homes in the desert Southwest and that some harbored T. cruzi. This could represent a hitherto unrecognized potential for transmission of Chagas disease in the United States.

Keywords: Chagas disease; Kissing bugs; Triatominae; Trypanosoma cruzi.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Top: Adult female Triatoma ruhida preparing to feed
Note the extended proboscis. When starved of a blood meal for approximately 2 weeks, these voracious bugs immediately begin to feed, even disregarding handling and removal from their habitat. Blood meals may take minutes to a half an hour to complete and are often interrupted by movement of the host. Bottom: Proboscis folded ventrally when not feeding.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Map of kissing bug collection sites at the ASDM
Seven sites are shown with the number or bugs captured at each site (in purple) and the blood sources found in the bug (in orange). Map shows walkway through the museum grounds with the various major displays.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Life cycle of Triatoma recurva (millimeter scale)
Top: nymphal stages 1 to 5. Each requires 1 or more blood meals before molting to the next stage. (A). Fertile egg. (B). Egg casing. Bottom: adult male T. recurva on the left and female on the right.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zeledon R, Beard C, Pinto Diaz J, Leiby D, Dorn P, Coura J. An Appraisal of the Status of Chagas Disease in the United States. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2012.
    1. Click Lambert R, Kolivras K, Resler L, Brewster C, Paulson S. The potential for emergence of Chagas disease in the United States. Geospat Health. 2008;2:227–239. - PubMed
    1. Pacheco-Tucuch F, Ramirez-Sierra M, Gourbiere S, Dumonteil E. Public street lights increase house infestation by the Chagas disease vector Triatoma dimidiata. PLoS One. 2012;7:e36207. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Klotz J, Dorn P, Logan J, et al. “Kissing bugs”: potential disease vectors and cause of anaphylaxis. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;50:1629–1634. - PubMed
    1. Bern C, Kjos S, Yabsley M, Montgomery S. Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas disease in the United States. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2011;24:655–681. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types