Browsing through the Rentokil pest guides, I came across a weird insect called the Triatomine bug. The name rang a bell, because some friend of mine who had travelled South America had told me about it. Before this time, however, I just thought of it as some holiday myth or yet another way to spice up holiday stories.
The common name of this insect is the Kissing Bug, and adversely to what the name suggests, the story connected to the name is everything but romantic. These bugs look somewhat similar to bedbugs, but are much larger in size (around 2cm). Like bedbugs, mosquitoes and ticks, kissing bugs feed on blood, both of animals and humans.
So, why the name kissing bug? They have earned their name because their preferred spot to take a blood meal is on our face, often near the mouth. They usually do this while we are sound asleep, and take up to 25 minutes for their meal (compared to mosquitoes these guys are true aficionados). As if this is not bad news enough, kissing bugs are also responsible for the transmission of Chagas disease.
Humans get the disease because after having fed, the kissing bug defecates. If the feces get in touch with the wound or mucous membranes, humans get infected. It is quite difficult to treat, and can be fatal in the long run. There are quite a number of infected people in Middle and South America.
This might come as a slight relief, but then again there are innumerous other diseases transmitted by pests. Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya can be transmitted by mosquitoes; or Leptospirosis and Hanta-viral infections transmitted by rodents; Cholera and Dysentery by flies, and many, many more.
Share this page...
8 Comments
Ben, I was quite excited at the prospect of a business trip to spend time with you and Rajeev in Cheenai or Bangalore but am now having second thoughts as your life seems to be full of some of the most disgusting/disturbing creatures!
Oh my goodness! This is absolutely gross. Honestly, I ought to be very grateful for living in the UK. These pests really are amazing….and yet terrifying.
We have these little bloodsuckers here in Arizona and I also ran across them in Florida. These bugs are really very goodlooking and sometimes the colors are astounding around the outside of their bodies.
@Caroline, Actually and luckily these pests are not Indian natives, and we do not have human botflies, nor triatomine bugs. However, as I am really interested in insects, and fascinated by parasites (This is evolution at work), I am writing about these. Please do not refrain from coming for a visit, I can promise you there will be no kissing bugs
I got curious to see how the bites would look like -> http://images.google.com.my/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&q=kissing+bugs+bites&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20
This looks highly unpleasant. I don’t like the idea of it defecating next to an open wound :/
They are also sometimes called ‘assassin bugs’ – they do tend to feed on people while they are asleep. Essentially think of them as giant bed bugs, and just be thankful they are not as widely spread as that species…..
I was just recently bitten by a kissing bug. Wasn’t a kiss I enjoyed but not horrible either. I was bitten twice just under and to the right side of my mouth. I didn’t realize what it was but it did kind of scare me because it looks similar to a herpes sore! Which I haven’t had a partner in 2 years so I was freaked! Lol. But I caught the little bastard last night, which my bites were about a week ago, what a relief.
The wounds are flat and scabby, if you pull them off they will bleed but its tempting when you wear make-up to get rid of that nasty litttle flaking scab. All in all not horrible, but the thought of it happening in my sleep is pretty gross, they take up to a half hour to feed. Ew. Luckily though it wasn’t my eye! The pictures of that ARE horrific. Good luck to anyone else the gets the kiss. 
2 Trackbacks
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rentokil , Pest Control and Leyton Jay and carolinemytton who said: OMG! Another disturbing #deBugged post from Ben H re Kissing Bugs ….. take a blood meal by our mouths & then defecate! http://ow.ly/1qkuI [...]
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by leyton_jay: RT @Rentokil: Who wants a kiss from the triatomine “kissing” bug? Not me! http://bit.ly/bHGz1Y...