Special Collection: Chagas Disease and Kissing Bugs The November issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology features a free-to-view special collection on “Chagas Disease and Kissing Bugs” organized by editors Gabe L. Hamer, Ph.D. and Sarah Hamer, Ph.D.
Overview of the collection: Triatomine insects (a.k.a. kissing bugs) transmit the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, agent of Chagas disease, a neglected and deadly cardiac disease of humans, dogs, and other mammals. Triatomines are distributed across South and Central America and Mexico through the southern United States. Although Chagas disease is known to have a large public health burden in many regions of Latin America, most human cases that are detected in the US are travel-associated, but there is increasing recognition for locally-acquired human Chagas disease cases. Increased surveillance has detected high levels of infection in dogs and other animal species across many southern states where infected kissing bugs are found.
This Special Collection on kissing bugs and Chagas disease explores the ecology, evolution, and control of triatomines and Chagas disease in North America. These contributions specifically explore the distribution and ecology of triatomines at their northern range limits, population genetics of a species complex, the development of a novel surveillance tool, natural symbiont regulation of T. cruzi infection, a review of triatomine control tools, and a protocol for triatomine colony maintenance. It is our hope that this Special Collection of articles stimulates further research exploring triatomines and Chagas disease in the Americas with the goal of reducing the burden of human and animal disease.
All the papers in the collection are freely available to read and download.
Note: Cryptic infections among immigrants may readily introduce the parasite into NA where susceptible kissing bugs are found. As of 2022 there was no national screening program for Chagas disease in the US nor was there active surveillance for the disease. The current collection is useful in providing current information on the epidemiology of this parasite.