Why are kissing bugs important?

In Central and South America, many triatomids, particularly the kissing bug, or binchugas, are infected with the etiologic agent of Chagas’ disease (American trypanosomiasis), which is spread to humans from contamination of broken skin with the bug’s feces. This triatomid has the unusual feature of defecating immediately after a blood meal so that the itch-induced scratching will contaminate the bite wound with the fecal material containing infectious organisms. It is a leading cause of heart disease in Central and South America and accounts for the death of a large number of young adults in South America. The organism, T. cruzi, also affects the esophagus, colon, and nervous system.