Integrated pest management strategies targeting the Florida kissing bug, : Preventing this vector of Chagas disease from invading your home.

Triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae), commonly called "kissing bugs", are blood-sucking pests and vectors of the protozoan parasite , the causative agent of Chagas disease (CD). Eleven species of kissing bugs occur throughout the southern half of the USA, four of which are well known to invade human dwellings. Certain kissing bugs in the USA are known to transmit to humans and other animals and their bites can also lead to serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.

Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Recreational Greenspaces in North Central Florida, USA.

Tick-borne infections are an increasing medical and veterinary concern in the southeastern United States, but there is limited understanding of how recreational greenspaces influence the hazard of pathogen transmission. This study aimed to estimate the potential human and companion animal encounter risk with different questing tick species, and the bacterial or protozoal agents they carry in recreational greenspaces. We collected ticks bimonthly along trails and designated recreational areas in 17 publicly accessible greenspaces, in and around Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana): Implications for environmental and vertical transmission routes.

Background: Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic to the Americas and the causative agent of Chagas disease in humans. In South America, opossums facilitate transmission via infected anal gland secretions in addition to transmission via triatomine vectors. In North America, the Virginia opossum is a reservoir host for the parasite with transmission routes that are not clearly defined.

Anaphylactic Reactions Due to (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae) and Invasion into a Home in Northern California, USA.

Background: is a triatomine found naturally throughout many regions of California and has been shown to invade human dwellings and bite residents. A man living in Mendocino County, California, reported developing anaphylactic reactions due to the bite of an "unusual bug", which he had found in his home for several years.

Methods: We conducted environmental, entomological, and clinical investigations to examine the risk for kissing bug invasion, presence of , and concerns for Chagas disease at this human dwelling with triatomine invasion.