How a Kissing Bug Becomes a Balloon Full of Your Blood

A kissing bug gorges on your blood, plus it may carry a potentially deadly parasite.

How a Kissing Bug Becomes a Balloon Full of Your Blood Deep Look

Premiered November 09, 2021
How a Kissing Bug Becomes a Balloon Full of Your Blood

A kissing bug gorges on your blood. Then it poops on you. And that poop might contain the parasite that causes Chagas disease, which can be deadly. Without knowing it, millions of people have gotten the parasite in Latin America, where these insects live in many rural homes. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the saliva of some kissing bugs in the U.S. can give you a dangerous allergic reaction.

About the Program

Deep Look

See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.

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