WHO, OR SHOULD I SAY, WHAT’S KISSING YOU
I was notified today about a story that is in the media, apparantly this week UA researchers put out a report finding a high rate of infection (40%) of Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease protozoan) infection in kissing bugs in southern Arizona.
However my source thought it prudent to put the public health risk in perspective and gave me the following points:
- The risk for Chagas disease transmission in AZ is very low – regardless of the UA findings)
- The UA research is NOT grounds for panic
Reason #1: The Triatominae (trī·ə′täm·ə′nē) bug species (kissing bugs) found in Arizona are different than those in highly endemic areas. The timing of blood feeding and defecating is different for the bugs here in AZ. The Arizona bugs feed and then deficate later (sometimes hours later) away from the host. Since the T.cruzi protozoa are passed in feces, not during blood feeding – this greatly reduces chances for transmission. In highly endemic areas, the prime vectors feed and deficate while still on the host.
Reason #2: Blood products from blood donors are screened for T.cruzi to protect the blood supply to prevent transfusion transmission. Blood screening serves a dual purpose for PH and as a tool for Chagas infection surveilance. There have been positive results from blood screening reportable in AZ since screening started in 2007, however only nine persons in AZ have tested positive for Chagas antibodies, that’s only nine out of tens of thousands of blood screens. All of the nine persons were asymptomatic. This means, these people had evidence of T.cruzi infection, but they do NOT qualify as Chagas disease cases, because all nine of them had connections or had lived in highly endemic areas of South America, Central America or Southern Mexico and these infections were NOT locally acquired.
While the UA research does demonstrate that T.Cruzie exists in southern Arizona kissing bugs and reminds us that Chagas disease risk – although low – does exist, that risk is very low.
So, this valentines, make sure you are kissing your significant other and stay away from the Kissing Bugs!
Call Invader Pest Management at 623-435-0228 or schedule an appointment for a Free Pest Assessment of your property online at www.invader.net.