Deadly Bug Found in Texas
SAN ANTONIO -- A bug with a deadly bite is in Texas. Doctors say the kissing bug is a silent killer.
"While it's sucking your blood it defecates. In that feces is the parasite," said Dr. Anil Mangla, the Assistant Director for the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
That parasite leads to Chagas disease. It finds a home in your tissue and muscles, including your heart.
Dr. Mangla said symptoms often include pain in the gut or swelling where the bug bit the person. He also said a person can go as long as twenty years before the parasite takes its toll.
"One of the major symptoms is sudden death," Dr. Mangla said.