Kissing Bug Found In Delaware, Maryland 'Not Concerned': Report

Federal health officials have verified that a kissing bug has been found in Delaware. It is the first time the insect, which can transmit the potentially life-threatening Chagas disease, was confirmed in that state.

The mostly nocturnal parasite — whose official name is Trypanosoma cruzi — has been found in 28 additional U.S. states, including in Maryland.

An encounter with the kissing bug can lead to Chagas disease, which may cause eyelid swelling as well as cardiac and gastrointestinal complications.

A Maryland Department of Agriculture entomologist told The Baltimore Sun this week that Maryland officials were "not concerned about" kissing bugs, as they have a low likelihood of transmitting Chagas disease, and said that Lyme disease, transmitted by deer ticks, was more of a threat.

Kissing bugs are so named because they have a predilection for biting the face. That was the case in Kent County, Delaware, where a child was bitten in the face by the blood-sucking bug in July 2018 as she was watching TV late at night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Concerned about potential disease transmission, her family contacted the Delaware Division of Public Health and Delaware Department of Agriculture, which sent the bug to the CDC.

This week, the CDC verified that it was indeed the kissing bug that bit the child in Delaware. However, the insect tested negative for the parasite that can transmit Chagas disease.

The parasite that causes Chagas disease is found in the feces of kissing bugs. Infection typically occurs when the bug defecates on or near people while feeding on their blood, usually when they are asleep. The fecal material gets rubbed into the bite wound or into the eye or mouth, and that's how the parasite enters the body.

Approximately 300,000 people in the U.S. have Chagas disease, most of whom were infected in Latin America, according to the CDC.

There is no evidence of the parasite causing Chagas disease in Delaware, the CDC said in a statement on April 19.

In Delaware, authorities said the older single-family home where the girl was bitten was in a wooded area. The room where the bite occurred had a window air conditioning unit.

There are two types of the bugs that have been found in Maryland. One has orange-yellow markings on the abdomen and legs covered in hair, according to the CDC, while another has distinct orange-red to yellowish markings.

Kissing bugs gravitate toward chicken coops, doghouses and animal nests; brush piles, wood piles and rock piles; and under cement or between rocky structures.

Health officials advise taking these precautions to prevent contact with kissing bugs, also known as Triatomine bugs, reduviid bugs, cone-nosed bugs and blood suckers:

• Point outdoor lights away from homes, dog kennels, and chicken coops; turn off lights when not in use.
• Remove trash, wood, rock piles and nests from around the home.
• Seal cracks and gaps around windows, air conditioners, walls, roofs, doors and crawl spaces.
• Close chimney flues when not in use.
• Put screens on all doors and windows.
• Bring pets inside to sleep, especially at night, and clean outdoor pet resting areas, including doghouses.