'The Kissing Bug' Not As Nice As It Sounds, It Kills Dogs & Humans Too
Why am I writing about a bug that kills dogs and humans? Because I recently read a news article that over 400 dogs have been killed by this little bug. Right now it's mainly in Texas but this bug is spreading, quite rapidly apparently. The kissing bug, or 'The Assassin bug' as it's also known, is quite widespread in southern United States, but is also quite prominent in the Midwest. I would only imagine it's a matter of time before it becomes even more widespread.
Most kissing bugs are only an inch in length
How The Kissing Bug Got Its Name
The kissing bug got its name from the bad habit of biting people and animals on the face or near the lips or eyes, generally while they sleep. These bugs are usually dark brown or black, sometimes with red flanking their flat backs. They are mainly found in the southern states but at one time they were only found in tropical regions. Temperatures getting warmer each year thanks to global warming or other reasons has pushed them further and further north, so now they are quite common even in some parts of the Midwest regions.
The Center Of Disease Control And Prevention reported back in November 2015 that 'The Kissing Bug' had been reported and identified in more than half the United States. Just today I checked and they are popular even in my own state of Indiana, which should be quite worrying to many, especially when you realize the diseases these pests can pass on. I have two lovely German Shepherd Dogs which is concerning, but more concerning is the fact that these killer diseases that 'The Kissing Bug' can pass on, can be passed on to humans too.
3 different types of kissing bug
The Gross Details About The Disease And How It Is Passed On
Basically the kissing bug will bite you or your dog or other pet on the face, generally in the lip area and feed off the blood, this in itself isn't that bad, but they then proceed to defecate in the same area (shit themselves in layman's terms). If the defecation gets into the blood stream, then it could pass on a disease called Chagas disease, which can prove fatal if an animal is not treated. These Assassin bugs can invade your home, but you wouldn't know it as they generally only come out at night, they hide under porches, in cracks, and yes even in your mattress if given the chance, and they are extremely hard to kill.
Chagas Disease
Chagas disease is contracted through the feces (crap,shit) of the kissing bug, but cannot be transmitted from one human to another, as far as we know, it's not contagious that way. There is a blood test for Chagas disease although it can only work well in the latter stages of infection. So what are the dangers of Chagas disease? Well, according to this article https://www.medicinenet.com/chagas_disease and various other online articles, it can result in infection and inflammation of many body tissues, including heart and intestinal tract.
What is more alarming is what was said later on in the article, that the disease may have 3 phases in a person. 1. Acute, where there is little to no symptoms that can last up to two months. 2. Intermediate which has few if any symptoms but may last 10 to 20 years, that's scary. 3. Chronic phase which can show up after 20 years with much more severe symptoms showing, such as "gradual chronic organ damage" especially to the intestines and heart and other organs. Symptoms will generally stay with you for life, and that's scary stuff.
I haven't personally seen any of these 'Kissing Bugs' or 'Assassin Bugs', but my son saw a picture and said he's seen a few, the problem is there doesn't seem to be anything that gets rid of them. Our own authorities in Indiana suggested catch them in a jar then drown them, which seem to be the most effective method, authorities are always full of great ideas (and usually full of BS). This article wasn't to scare anyone really, although it scared me a little, but rather to make people aware of what could be in your own backyard, or house.
When writing this article, there are a lot of technical and medical terms that I left out, so that like me, you could understand it. There were words that were so long I got bored typing them out, so I left them out and wrote it in plain old English. Hope you found it informative, and if you know about these bugs and have anything to add please reply below.
Pictures courtesy of : https://citybugs.tamu.edu/2015/12/01/kissing-bug-identification-requires-closer-look/