Chagas disease–carrying kissing bugs establish new base in Florida homes

CDC

Kissing bugs that carry the parasite for Chagas disease, a potentially serious tropical condition, have established a base in Florida, researchers say.

Chagas disease, which is rare in the United States, can cause a brief illness or remain latent for years before causing symptoms. If untreated, it can become a chronic condition that damages the heart, brain, and other organs.

Scientists from the University of Florida (UF) and Texas A&M University collected more than 300 kissing bugs, or triatomines, from 23 Florida counties—one third of them from people's homes—from 2013 to 2023. The team analyzed the bugs' stomach contents to determine the source of their last meal and whether it contained the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite implicated in Chagas disease.

Their findings were published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

People encroaching on bugs' habitat

Parasite-infected kissing bugs were identified in 12 of the 23 counties, with roughly 30% of them carrying T cruzi. Most bugs found in the home had fed on people, while those located outside mainly contained blood from other mammals and, to a lesser extent, unexpected sources such as amphibians, reptiles, and cockroaches.

Adult kissing bugs, likely so-named because they tend to bite people's faces—are roughly 0.5 to 1 inch long. They typically live in wood piles and feed on blood from people, dogs, or wild animals at night, leaving behind feces that contain parasites.

We're building into the Trypanosoma cruzi habitat, and so I think it increases the likelihood of people and companion animals becoming infected.

Samantha Wisely, PhD

The parasites may enter the victim's body through the eyes or mouth, a cut, or the insect bite itself. They may also spread through contaminated uncooked food or infected donor blood or from mother to baby.

The bugs have a wide habitat range, living throughout North, Central, and South America, including 23 mostly southern states from coast to coast. As their natural habitat is disturbed by land development, the bugs have been seeking refuge in people's homes, the researchers said.

"We're building into the Trypanosoma cruzi habitat, and so I think it increases the likelihood of people and companion animals becoming infected,” senior author Samantha Wisely, PhD, of UF, said in a university news release.

Infection-prevention measures

Residents of high-risk areas for Chagas disease can drape insecticide-impregnated mosquito netting over their bed, use insecticides, or apply insect repellent to their skin.

The study authors advise inspecting the home for potential entry points and keeping wood piles a distance away. "Don't keep them right next to where your dog sleeps," Wisely said. "That's the integrated part, not just using pesticides and insecticides."

If Chagas disease causes symptoms in the acute phase, they may include fever, rash, headache, nausea and vomiting, swollen lymph glands, or an enlarged liver or spleen. Chronic disease may lead to heart conditions, trouble swallowing, and digestive problems.

A blood test can confirm Chagas infection. If infection is discovered early, an antiparasitic medication can be used. Once infection is established, however, therapy consists of symptom management.