Kissing Bug with Radio Rransmitter (IMAGE)

Entomological Society of America

Kissing Bug with Radio Rransmitter

Caption

In a new pilot study, researchers in Texas successfully attached miniature radio transmitters to kissing bugs and tracked their movements. Kissing bugs (such as the Triatoma gerstaeckeri shown here) are a group of bloodsucking insects, found in Latin America and the southern United States, that transmit the pathogen that causes Chagas disease in humans and animals. They typically move at night and hide during day, and uncovering their secretive movements could play a key role in reducing their impact as a disease vector.

Credit

Gabriel Hamer, Ph.D., Texas A&M University/<i>Journal of Medical Entomology</i>

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