Triatomine bug: appearance and description of an affectionate insect from Mexico
Triatomine bugs are representatives of the family of the same name, living mainly on the South American continent. People call it the "kissing bug" or "gentle killer" - most often it sits on the face in the area of the lips and eyes and is a carrier of a deadly disease.
Content
- Triatom bug: description and features of the species
- Where do triatomine bugs live
- How to find out that a kissing bug has settled nearby
- What to do if a triatomic bug was found at home
- Why are triatomine bugs dangerous for humans?
- What is Chagas disease
- How to treat Chagas disease
- Prevention of bites of triatomic bugs
Triatom bug: description and features of the species
The triatomine bug belongs to the family of the same name. All representatives of this species are distinguished by their large size and specific behavior.
Appearance and structure
The kissing bug is a large insect, its body length is from 2 to 3,5 cm, dark coal or gray in color with pronounced reddish stripes along the edges. Pear-shaped body. The head is large, cone-shaped with bulging eyes. On the back are leathery folded wings. The insect has 3 pairs of smooth limbs.
Reproduction and life cycle
What does the triatomine bug eat?
The main food for the kissing bug is the blood of humans and animals. Moreover, not only adults, but also nymphs feed in this way. In search of a human dwelling, the pest overcomes quite considerable distances, as a rule, the artificial lighting of houses is a guide for it.
The bug bites almost always the face. This is due to the fact that it is attracted to carbon dioxide, which a person exhales in a dream.
How to distinguish from other species
The triatomine bug is similar to other insects, but it can be distinguished by leathery wings and relatively thin, tapering to the ends, paws.
Where do triatomine bugs live
Dangerous insects live exclusively in countries with a hot climate. The most comfortable temperature for him is + 25-28 degrees.
In which countries can you find bed bugs
The countries in which the kissing bug lives are located on the territory of South and North America.
Residents of the following states most often suffer from the bite of this pest:
- Guatemala;
- Ecuador;
- Bolivia;
- Argentina;
- Colombia;
- Uruguay;
- Panama;
- Бразилия.
In addition, in recent years, cases of detection of parasites have been increasingly recorded in other countries: Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore. Experts explain the expansion of the bug's habitat by the development of passenger and freight traffic.
Is this species found in Russia?
The climatic conditions of our country are not suitable for its habitat, therefore, in Russia there have been no cases of kissing tick attacks. Russians can only suffer from its bites while traveling for holidays or business trips. People visiting the above countries are advised to read the information about this parasite.
How to find out that a kissing bug has settled nearby
Most often, the presence of a pest in the dwelling is detected by direct contact with it, or a person accidentally notices it in bed. Also, the appearance of whitish or dark spots of unknown origin on the bedding may indicate its appearance.
What insects are most often confused with kissing bugs
The order of bedbugs unites about 40 thousand species. Some of them are very similar to triatomic:
What to do if a triatomic bug was found at home
If a kissing bug is found in a dwelling, never touch it with bare handsand, since infection can occur through microcracks in the skin.
- You should wear gloves or protect your hands with a cloth, take an insect, place it in a container with a tight lid and send it to the laboratory so that experts can find out if the individual is a carrier of an infectious disease.
- The surface on which the pest was found must be treated. If it is fabric, then it is better to burn it. If the surface is hard, then it should be washed with soapy water and bleach.
Why are triatomine bugs dangerous for humans?
What is Chagas disease
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection. The causative agent is the unicellular microorganism Trypanosoma cruzi. You can get infected not only through the bite of a parasite, even a short contact with the surface of his body can cause infection.
There is currently no vaccine for American trypanosomiasis.
Symptoms of infection
The incubation period of the disease is from 7 to 40 days. The disease itself occurs in 2 stages, the symptoms depend on the stage of development of the disease.
Acute phase
Most often, clinical manifestations occur almost immediately after the bite, in rare cases this phase can be completely asymptomatic. After infection, redness, swelling, and a small nodule appear at the site of the bite. Further symptoms are similar to the manifestation of a cold, so they are often ignored.
These include:
- fever;
- temperature increase;
- swollen lymph nodes;
- swelling of the face;
- small rashes on the skin;
- gastrointestinal disorders.
A characteristic sign of infection is the so-called sign of Roman - severe swelling and overhanging of the eyelid over the eye. At this stage, the risk of death of the patient is high if he is not provided with timely assistance. The stage ends after 1-2 months, and if there was no therapy, the disease passes into the chronic stage.
During this phase, the body produces antibodies to the virus. However, this does not mean that there is a recovery. The symptoms simply become less pronounced and this is the insidiousness of the disease - it continues to destroy organs, but at the same time a person can only sometimes experience discomfort in the form of pain in the stomach or heart, but nevertheless, irreversible changes occur in the body. The chronic phase can last for several decades. The most severe consequences of Chagas disease are the growth of the heart muscle, liver, esophagus, intestines. In 5-10% meningitis and meningoencephalitis are observed.
In the vast majority of cases, trypanosomiasis is contracted through a bug bite. The bloodsucker prefers to bite in the area around the eyes and mouth, so most often the virus penetrates through the mucous membranes when a person rubs the bite site. The saliva of the pest contains an anesthetic, so a person at the time of piercing the skin with a tick does not experience discomfort. The pests themselves become infected with the virus from wild animals - monkeys, opossums, rats and armadillos.
Penetration of the Chagas disease virus into the human body can also occur in other ways: tactile contact with an infected insect: the infection enters the skin, and then penetrates through wounds, microcracks, and mucous membranes. Accidental ingestion of insect feces that have been in food that has not undergone the necessary heat treatment. From infected mother to child during childbirth and breastfeeding. When eating the meat of sick animals, with blood transfusions and organ transplants.
Currently, the diagnosis of Chagas disease is imperfect. In order to reliably determine whether it is necessary to conduct several tests. Most often, a serological blood test and the Guerreiro-Machado test are performed for the study. Xenodiagnosis is also used: the blood of a potentially infected person is injected into healthy kissing bugs, then the insects are tested for Chagas disease. If the disease has passed into the chronic stage, most often the test results are negative.
How to treat Chagas disease
Today there is no effective treatment for Chagas disease. Therapy is symptomatic, and is also aimed at reducing the number of parasites in the body.
If you start treatment in the acute phase, then the probability of complete recovery is 90%.
The most commonly used drugs are Nifurtimox and Benznidazole. These drugs have antiprotosic properties and kill pathogens. In the chronic stage, taking these drugs is not advisable, only maintenance therapy is used.
Bite treatment at home
It should be noted that the treatment of tryponasomiasis at home in the presence of acute, characteristic symptoms is unacceptable and seeking medical help is mandatory.
However, before going to the hospital, you can take emergency measures yourself:
- wash the bite site with warm water and antibacterial soap;
- apply ice placed in a clean plastic bag to the skin near the bite site to relieve swelling;
- treat the wound with any antiseptic - alcohol solution, disinfecting gel;
- to relieve itching, apply calamine or fenistil to the skin;
- in no case do not comb the bite site, it is also recommended to cut your nails as much as possible so as not to scratch the wound instinctively or in a dream;
- take any antihistamines.
What are the symptoms that need to be taken to the hospital?
As mentioned above, you must contact a medical institution in any case. The following symptoms are the reason for an emergency call to the doctor:
- dizziness and loss of orientation in space;
- eyelid edema;
- shortness of breath, pain in the heart;
- temperature increase;
- skin rashes;
- vomiting, diarrhea, or severe constipation.
Prevention of bites of triatomic bugs
There is no vaccine for Chagas disease, but following simple preventive measures can reduce the risk of infection:
- use a special mesh to protect windows and sleeping places, which prevents the penetration of the parasite;
- observe all the rules of personal hygiene;
- as a prophylaxis, take drugs based on permethrin;
- if parasites are found in the home, use special chemical compounds to exterminate them.