Triatom bugs: description, classification and interesting facts

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

Triatomine bugs, or, as they are also called, kissing bugs, are a new threat to society. Little is known about it yet, but these creatures pose a rather big he alth hazard. They kill up to 45,000 people every year!

The most frightening thing is that, despite the many various scientific articles and news in magazines and the Internet, very few people still have an idea about triatomine bugs. And, most likely, the given statistics of 45 thousand deaths annually is clearly underestimated, since most of those infected do not even realize that they carry a deadly disease.

Description and classification

130 different species of these insects are known to science, and quite a few of them are carriers of the dangerous Chagas disease. The kissing bug belongs to the order Coleoptera, the Predator family. Its black body, elongated like a stick, can reach 3 cm in length. The head has a cone-shaped appearance, and the presence of wings allows the insect to easily overcome obstacles. Compared to a domestic ordinary bug, its limbs andthe mouth apparatus is longer, but he drinks much less blood.

Triatomine bugs are originally from South America, but these days they are rapidly reaching the northern regions. They live mainly in low-income areas, among the population huddled in thatched huts and adobe buildings. Research by Vermont scientists has shown that not only migration, but also global warming is to blame for the spread of killer bugs to the north of the mainland.

What threat is the triatomine bug

Trypanosoma cruzi are parasites that develop in the gastrointestinal tract of these insects. Thanks to them, the latter got their name - triatomic. It is these parasites that live in the stomach of bedbugs that are carriers of Chagas disease (Chagas). Having bitten a person, a triatomic bug immediately defecates directly into the wound or next to it, from where the parasites enter the bloodstream and begin to multiply directly in the human body. Because of the bug bite itself, infection is impossible. It comes from stool.

The bug starts hunting with the onset of night, he crawls out of his hiding place and makes his way to a sleeping person. It bites mainly around the lips and eyes, where the skin is warmest. Through sleep, a person does not feel a bite, the bug can eat from 15 to 20 minutes and immediately defecate. A person, having combed the wound, brings the parasite's feces into the body, and there the process is already started.

Chagas disease

Triatom bugs are the most dangerous representatives of the species, which arecarriers of this serious disease. Bacteria that enter the human body begin their development and affect the gastrointestinal tract, heart, and musculoskeletal system.

The disease can occur in two types: an acute form, lasting 1–2 months after infection, and a chronic one, the development of which occurs over 5–20 years.

Symptoms of the disease in the acute stage:

• Swelling around the bite (skin turns dark red).
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• The body temperature rises.
• Headaches.
• Nausea, vomiting.
• Gastrointestinal disorder.
• Paleness of the skin.

In some cases, these symptoms may not be present at all or they appear only partially.

In the chronic form occurs:

• Muscle pain.
• Shortness of breath.
• Pain in the abdomen and chest area.
• Significant loss of appetite.
• Persistent fatigue.
• Bluishing of the limbs of the arms and legs, as well as lips.
• Frequent fainting, disorientation and other mental disorders.

To date, there is no specific vaccine against the disease spread by triatomine bugs in the world. Treatment is carried out with the use of antiparasitic drugs. But the sooner therapy begins, the greater the chance of a 100% recovery of the patient.

Treatment and precautions

When you notice a bite on yourself, the first thing to do is to wash the affected area with clean water and soap and in no case scratch it. Then you need to submitappropriate blood tests to detect the parasites that cause Chagas disease. In case of luck and negative results, you only need to relieve itching and swelling using a special ointment, ice and soda.

When test results are positive, drugs such as Nifurtimox or Benzidazole are used to fight the infection carried by triatomine bugs. Their medical significance is quite large, because at the earliest stage of the disease there is a chance of cure.

Prevention measures

It is not easy to completely protect yourself from these insects. They can enter the home with a pet. However, some tips will help reduce the risk of encountering a triatomine bug:

• Don't clutter your home, much less your bedroom, with piles of clothes and papers to reduce places where triatomine bugs can hide.
• Install mosquito nets wherever possible: on windows, doors, loopholes for cats and dogs.
• Keep chimneys closed.
• Turn off outdoor lights as unnecessary and, if possible, replace cold incandescent lamps (white) with yellow ones - they attract insects less.
• Prevent cracks in the foundation and other parts of the building.
• Clean the room as often as possible, paying special attention to crevices, dark places, bedding, pet rugs.
• Use special sticky traps.

Interestingfind out

Triatom bugs have not yet been fully studied. The biology of bed bugs and Chagas disease was one of the most important topics discussed at the annual meeting of members of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, held in 2014 in New Orleans. Scientists have stated that it may be possible to defeat the deadly Chagas disease. The process complicates the problem of identifying it in the early stages, since during this period the symptoms are usually absent. This is what causes problems with treatment.

But triatomine bugs are not the only carriers of a terrible disease. It can be transmitted through pets bitten by these insects. The infection can enter the body if a person has eaten infected food that has not been heat-treated. Among other things, the disease can be congenital, and can be transmitted from an infected mother to an unborn child.