Chagas bugs are small insects, but they can create big nightmares. These creatures crawl onto people while they sleep and suck blood from their bodies with needle-like beaks. Plus, Chagas bugs poop on their victim's skin and that can lead to infections that cause sickness or even death.
Bloodsucker: When these insects pierce a person's or animal's skin, there's only one thing they're looking for-blood. Chagas bugs search for blood vessels just under the surface of their victim's skin, and feed for up to 20 minutes, drinking up to 10 times their own weight.
Extend-o-Beak: A Chagas bug's beak is sharp and hollow, like a miniature needle. These insects keep their beaks folded underneath their heads until they're ready to stick them into a victim.
Very bad Manners[]
Some flat species can crawl through tiny cracks.
The bite of a Chagas bug would be irritating, but harmless if it weren't for the diseases they spread. These insects have a disgusting habit of expelling waste on their victims' skin when they feed. Chagas bugs got their name from the bacteria that causes Chagas' disease, which they carry in their gut, and is transferred to their victims' skin through their waste. Chagas bugs infect up to 500,000 people every year in Mexico and South America.
Come Together: Chagas bugs swarm together where there's lots of food, and have no problem sharing blood from the same victims. Scientists once found more than 7,000 Chagas bugs in a family's small hut in South America.
The Disease: Chagas' disease was named after Carlos Chagas, the Brazilian doctor who discovered that it was transmitted through these bugs. The disease causes a high fever and can lead to heart disease. Many victims die within weeks of infection, but some can live for years with the illness.
Bug Off[]
- A Chagas bug comes out at night, hungry after its daytime rest. The insect climbs onto a sleeping person and searches for a thin piece of skin that is rich with blood vessels.
- The Chagas bug locates one of its favorite places to bite people-the corner of the eye. The bug drips a bit of saliva to numb the skin so the victim won't feel the bite.
- When the victim wakes up int he morning, his face still itches from the bacteria that's on his skin. He doesn't know it yet, but rubbing his eye will cause the bacteria to enter the bloodstream.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The knowledge card says Chagas Bugs. The trading card says Chagas Bug.
- Chagas bugs are more commonly known as "kissing bugs", in the subfamily Triatominae, and are a type of assassin bug.