The scientific name of the kissing bedbug that acts like the agent that transmits the chagas disease is Triatoma infestans (there are some other species responsible of minor percentage of cases of Chagas disease)

It is the vector of the disease. As in every insect, the body of the vinchuca has 3 parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. Exteriorly we can see that the head has the sensorial organs, the thorax has inserted the locomotive organs and the abdomen has the reproductive system and the breathing holes.

The head is long, fusiforme in most of the species. It has a pair of compound eyes, a pair of minor eyes also a pair of feelers that receive sensations that haven't been determined yet.

In the ventral face of the thorax, the thin and long legs are inserted. A big part of his abdomen is covered by wings (only the adults have wings which are inefficient to fly; however, the wings are useful during reproduction). Letting uncovered the fringe that surrounds the abdomen and outstands by its clear transversal stains. That is a very important characteristic to identify the vinchucas.

The domiciliary vinchuca infects human beings.

There are more than one hundred of species of vinchucas, but not all of them have epidemiological importance in the transmission of the Trypanosoma cruzi.

A group of species has wild habits and is the vector of the Trypanosoma cruzi in wild animals. Another group invades the surroundings of houses like henhouses, animal pens, etc. they get their food from blood of domestic animals like dogs, cats and other mammals that grow near the house participating; in this way, in the transmission of the parasite. These vinchucas are very close to men, but they do not invade the men's houses. That's why they do not transmit the disease to people.

The domiciliary vinchucas usually shares the house with human beings and eat their blood. The scientific name of them is Triatoma infestans.

The adult vinchuca is 2 ½ and 3 cm long, male is just a little smaller the female. A very safe way to identify a domiciliary vinchuca is by looking at the lower part of their legs that presents a yellow section very different from the rest of its black body.

Sources of Information

• Mal de Chagas
  Basado en: Censo de 1991 y Doctora Elsa Segura, del Instituto Mario Fatala Chaben.
  Colegio Miraflores México
  http://www.mflor.mx/materias/temas/malchagas/malchagas.htm

• The Kiss of Death: The Biology of Chagas Disease
  The University of Texas at Arlington
  http://www.uta.edu/chagas/html/biolTinf.html

More Information

• The Kissing Bug
• Development
• Geographic zones
• Life habits
• Other infectious species
• Biological Information
• Frequently Asked Questions