Overview

• Triatomine “kissing bugs” capable of carrying Trypanosoma cruzi have been identified across roughly 32 states, with autochthonous human infections documented in California, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
• Investigators emphasize major data gaps, noting current evidence is insufficient to determine whether parasite prevalence or geographic range is increasing in the United States.
• Texas A&M has logged about 10,000 public reports of kissing bugs in 31 states, and roughly half of a tested subset carried the parasite.
• Transmission occurs when parasites in bug feces enter through the eyes, mouth, skin breaks, or the bite site, and untreated infections can later cause serious cardiac or digestive disease despite early symptoms often being mild or absent.
• Public health responses are expanding as home encounters and canine infections raise awareness, including new testing efforts reported by Los Angeles County to improve detection and care.