Dr. Susan Montgomery, DVM, MPH

From its labs in Atlanta and around the world, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists have been dissecting insects and the parasites they leave in humans for more than 65 years. The kissing bug, also known as a triatomine, can be infected by Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. It is not widespread in the United States, but 300,000 people are infected by Trypanosoma cruzi and have Chagas disease.

Chagas can cause cardiac disease including stroke and arrhythmias, and gastrointestinal disease over time. It can take several years to decades for the infection to take its toll on the human heart and stomach.