Louisiana is home to over 8,000 species of bugs. Some are helpful, some are pretty to look at and some deposit bacteria that can cause a serious blood infection with a kiss.
Kissing bugs are in at least 30 states, with two species living in Louisiana: the Eastern Conenose bug and the Triatoma sanguisuga bug. The black bug with orange markings carries Chagas disease, which can have mild symptoms like swelling or fever, or long-lasting symptoms like congestive heart failure if left untreated.
Assistant professor of urban and peri-urban entomology at LSU Aaron Ashbrook said that the insects called kissing bugs for a reason. This is because they are attracted to the carbon dioxide that comes out of mouths and noses, which lures them to someone’s face. Often it occurs when someone is sleeping.
“After the kissing bug feeds, they defecate and so they defecate partially digested blood,” Ashbrook said.
This partially digested blood contains the pathogen that causes Chagas disease. Ashbrook explained that it’s not transmitted from the bite itself, but from the bug’s bloody feces getting rubbed into the bite, eyes, mouth or any open wound.
The biggest difference between Louisiana’s kissing bugs and those from other states is that the Triatoma sanguisuga doesn’t defecate until about 30 minutes after obtaining a blood meal. This means there is less of a chance that Louisianians will contract Chagas disease.
To ease some stress, Ashbrook said that because of the infrastructure in the U.S., the potential of getting bit by a kissing bug is lower compared to South America where Chagas is more common. He said there were only 29 confirmed cases in the U.S. from 2000-2018.
“So what you should be concerned with is if you have outdoor animals, because kissing bugs are primarily an outdoor pest,” Ashbrook said.
Animals susceptible to infection include wildlife like raccoons, opossums and wild rodents. Domestic dogs and outdoor cats can also be infected.
The kissing bug also has a doppelgänger: the assassin bug. Ashbrook said the big difference is that kissing bugs have the orange marking and a more pointed head, hence the name “conenose.”
“If you see a kissing bug, just leave it alone,” Ashbrook said. “Now, if you find them indoors, that should be of concern.”
LSU associate professor in entomology Kristin Healy said the risk of catching Chagas disease hasn’t necessarily changed, but awareness around it is increasing. In September, the CDC declared the disease endemic, meaning it is constantly present in specific geographical areas. This excludes the U.S.
By spreading awareness about kissing bugs and Chagas disease, Healy said she hopes that more people get tested since many cases go unreported. This is because someone could go asymptomatic for years and then not fight out until the chronic stage.
“I think it’s really hard to determine the actual risk,” Healy said. “I don’t think the risk has necessarily changed, but maybe our knowledge of risk is limited.”
The director of public health programs at Loyola University New Orleans Erin Cloherty has spent a lot of time studying Chagas disease, specifically in the raccoon populations of New Orleans. As an assistant professor she is now responsible for informing her students about the disease.
Cloherty said that it is important to know that Chagas disease is not transmissible from person to person. If someone with the disease sneezes on you, you cannot catch it, but a pregnant mother can give it to her child.
Because of climate change, Cloherty said that there is an expansion of these insects across the U.S. With this, their reservoirs will expand, meaning more wildlife will get infected.
“If you live in places that are dilapidated, then there is more of a chance of the insects to come in and seek shelter in there, and then seek food sources,” Cloherty said. “In the U.S., we don’t see many homes that are infested with these bugs.’
For any questions about kissing bugs or for assistance with identification, Ashbrook said to reach out to an LSU extension agent, the Department of Entomology or himself.
