CDC A bed    bug (Cimex lectularius)  
    It was previously thought that Chagas disease, which     kills an estimated 50,000 people per year, was exclusively    carried by an insect called the kissing bug. But new research    shows that bedbugs can also spread the disease, at least among    mice.  
    University of Pennsylvania epidemiologist Michael Levy    says hes worried that bedbugs could distribute the parasitic    disease among people, although there is no proof yet that this    is happening.   
    Chagas    disease is caused by a parasitic protozoan called    Trypanosoma cruzi that slowly attacks internal organs like the    heart. At first, it has very few outward signs. Then, about 20    years after infection, some 20 percent of infected people    develop very serious problems, including arrhythmias and even    sudden death from cardiac arrest, Levy tells Newsweek.  
    Due to this time lag and lack of recognition, Chagas disease    has become a silent epidemicits the most deadly parasite in    the Americas, but the public doesnt know anything about it,    Levy says.  
    The parasite is spread by kissing (or assassin) bugs, which    generally feed at night and go for uncovered areas like the    face, often around the eyes or lips. These insects dont    directly spread the disease through their bite, but rather    through feces; the protozoan can be transmitted when their    waste is spread into wounds via scratching, or by entering the    body through the eyes or mouth, Levy says.  
    Luckily, kissing bugs cannot generally get to humans at night    if they live in well-made buildings. Thats one reason why    Chagas disease transmission isnt a significant problem in the    U.S.the few cases seen in the States are mostly brought in by    travelers returning from Latin America.  
    In the past few years, however, bedbug populations have    skyrocketed in the U.S. If these insects could spread the    disease, and, says Levy, it would be a disaster. If Chagas    starts to spread, we wouldn't know it, due to the slow nature    of the    disease.  
    In a studypublished    this week in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine    and Hygiene, researchers showed that bedbugs can become    infected after feeding on diseased mice. They also found in    another experiment that protozoa-carrying bedbugs can pass on    the parasite to mice.  
    Since the protozoa infects many mammals, including mice and    humans, theres no reason to think bedbugs couldnt spread the    disease among people too, Levy says, although he concedes there    may be some as-yet-unknown reason why bedbugs couldnt transmit    the disease.  
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Bedbugs Could Spread Deadly, Heart-Damaging Chagas Disease