Deadly parasite-carrying bugs in the Triatomine family — known as kissing bugs — are popping up in Louisiana. The parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, causes Chagas disease, a disease endemic to South America that can lead to cardiac and digestive issues.
In a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers advocated for the reclassification of Chagas disease as endemic in the United States. Infection in humans occurs through contact with the feces of an infected kissing bug.
For over a decade, researchers at Tulane University have studied the transmission and prevention methods for Chagas disease. Claudia Herrera, an assistant professor at Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, established the pioneering molecular epidemiology laboratory for Chagas disease at Tulane to analyze the genetic diversity of these parasites and their prevalence in the New Orleans community…