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Reduviidae (kissing bug)
- blood-sucking insects with long, narrow proboscis that is folded underneath the body when not in use
- the head is cone-shaped on a narrow neck
- the abdomen is widened in the middle.
- kissing bugs are black or brown, some have orange & black markings on the abdomen
- length is 1-3 cm, they have well developed wings & are capable of flight
- bites are generally painless, but may produce a painful wheal or bullae secondary to the victim's sensitivity to the kissing bug saliva
- in Mexico, Central & South America, kissing bugs transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chaga's disease
- the parasite is present in the feces & is secondarily inoculated into the skin by the victim's scratching.
Images [3]
Related
Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease)
Specific
Panstrongylus
Rhodnius
Triatoma
General
hemiptera
Properties
KINGDOM: animal
PHYLUM: arthropod
ORGANISM-CLASS: INSECTA
ORDER: hemiptera
FAMILY: Reduviidae
References
- Clinical Diagnosis & Management by Laboratory Methods,
19th edition, J.B. Henry (ed), W.B. Saunders Co.,
Philadelphia, PA. 1996, pg 1303
- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Parasites - American Trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas disease)
Triatomine Bug FAQs
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/chagas/gen_info/vectors/index.html
- Burns DO
7 Bug Bites You Need to Know
Medscape. June 17, 2021
https://reference.medscape.com/slideshow/bug-bites-6004328