parent_taxon mepraia
Mepraia is a genus in the subfamily ___MASK100___ , endemic of Chile , and vector of Chagas disease . Currently this genus contains 3 species Mepraia spinolai ( Porter , 1933 ) , Mepraia gajardoi ( Frías , Henry & González , 1998 ) and Mepraia parapatrica ( Frías , 2010 ) . ___MASK7___ is a genus of assassin bugs in the subfamily ___MASK100___ ( the kissing bugs ), and is an important vector in the spread of Chagas disease . The " ___MASK7___ " species were important models for Sir Vincent Wigglesworth ' s studies of insect physiology , specifically growth and development . Chagas disease , also known as American trypanosomiasis , is a tropical parasitic disease caused by the protozoan " ___MASK19___ cruzi ". It is spread mostly by ___MASK76___ known as ___MASK100___ or kissing bugs . The symptoms change over the course of the infection . In the early stage , symptoms are typically either not present or mild , and may include fever , swollen lymph nodes , headaches , or local swelling at the site of the bite . After 8  12 weeks , individuals enter the chronic phase of disease and in 60  70 % it never produces further symptoms . The other 30 to 40 % of people develop further symptoms 10 to 30 years after the initial infection , including enlargement of the ventricles of the heart in 20 to 30 %, leading to heart failure . An enlarged esophagus or an enlarged colon may also occur in 10 % of people . " T . cruzi " is commonly spread to humans and other mammals by the blood - sucking " kissing bugs " of the subfamily ___MASK100___ . These ___MASK76___ are known by a number of local names , including : " vinchuca " in Argentina , Bolivia , Chile and Paraguay , " barbeiro " ( the barber ) in Brazil , " pito " in Colombia , " chinche " in Central America , and " chipo " in Venezuela . The disease may also be spread through blood transfusion , organ transplantation , eating food contaminated with the parasites , and by vertical transmission ( from a mother to her fetus ). Diagnosis of early disease is by finding the parasite in the blood using a microscope . Chronic disease is diagnosed by finding antibodies for " T . cruzi " in the blood . Prevention mostly involves eliminating kissing bugs and avoiding their bites . Other preventative efforts include screening blood used for transfusions . A vaccine has not been developed as of 2013 . Early infections are treatable with the medication benznidazole or nifurtimox . Medication nearly always results in a cure if given early , but becomes less effective the longer a person has had Chagas disease . When used in chronic disease , medication may delay or prevent the development of end  stage symptoms . Benznidazole and nifurtimox cause temporary side effects in up to 40 % of people including skin disorders , brain toxicity , and digestive system irritation . It is estimated that 7 to 8 million people , mostly in Mexico , Central America and South America , have Chagas disease as of 2013 . In 2006 , Chagas was estimated to result in 12 , 500 deaths per year . Most people with the disease are poor , and most people with the disease do not realize they are infected . Large - scale population movements have increased the areas where Chagas disease is found and these include many European countries and the United States . These areas have also seen an increase in the years up to 2014 . The disease was first described in 1909 by Carlos Chagas after whom it is named . It affects more than 150 other animals . Vertebrates comprise all species of animals within the subphylum ___MASK87___ ( chordates with backbones ). Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum ___MASK69___ , with currently about 64 , 000 species described . Vertebrates include the jawless fish and the jawed vertebrates , which include the cartilaginous fish ( sharks and rays ) and the bony fish . ___MASK19___ cruzi is a species of parasitic euglenoids . Amongst the ___MASK73___ , the trypanosomes characteristically bore tissue in another organism and feed on blood ( primarily ) and also lymph . This behaviour causes disease or the likelihood of disease that varies with the organism : for example , trypanosomiasis in humans ( Chagas disease in South America ), dourine and surra in horses , and a brucellosis - like disease in cattle . Parasites need a host body and the haematophagous insect triatomine ( descriptions " assassin bug ", " cone - nose bug ", and " kissing bug ") is the major vector in accord with a mechanism of infection . The triatomine likes the nests of vertebrate animals for shelter , where it bites and sucks blood for food . Individual triatomines infected with ___MASK73___ from other contact with animals transmit trypanosomes when the triatomine deposits its faeces on the host ' s skin surface and then bites . Penetration of the infected faeces is further facilitated by the scratching of the bite area by the ___MASK83___ or animal host . ___MASK53___ is a genus of assassin bug in the subfamily ___MASK100___ ( kissing bugs ). The members of " ___MASK53___ " ( like all members of ___MASK100___ ) are blood - sucking insects that can transmit serious diseases , such as Chagas disease . Their saliva may also trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals , up to and including severe anaphylactic shock . The members of ___MASK100___ , a subfamily of ___MASK47___ , are also known as conenose bugs , kissing bugs , assassin bugs , or vampire bugs . Other local names for them used in the Latin Americas include barbeiros , vinchucas , pitos and chinches . Most of the 130 or more species of this subfamily are haematophagous , i . e . feeds on vertebrate blood ; a very few species feed on other invertebrates ( Sandoval " et al ." 2000 , 2004 ). They are mainly found and widespread in the Americas , with a few species present in Asia , Africa , and Australia . These bugs usually share shelter with nesting vertebrates , from which they suck blood . In areas where Chagas disease occurs ( from the southern United States to northern Argentina ), all triatomine species are potential vectors of the Chagas disease parasite " Trypanosoma cruzi ", but only those species ( such as " Triatoma infestans " and " Rhodnius prolixus ") that are well adapted to living with humans are considered important vectors . ___MASK46___ , officially the Argentine Republic , is a federal republic in the southern half of South America . Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with its neighbor Chile to the west , the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north , Brazil to the northeast , Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east , and the Drake Passage to the south . With a mainland area of , ___MASK46___ is the eighth - largest country in the world , the second largest in Latin America , and the largest Spanish - speaking one . The country is subdivided into twenty - three provinces ( singular " provincia ") and one autonomous city (" ciudad autónoma "), Buenos Aires , which is the federal capital of the nation as decided by Congress . The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions , but exist under a federal system . The ___MASK47___ are a large cosmopolitan family of the order Hemiptera ( true bugs ). They are slightly unusual overall , but very common among the Hemiptera because almost all are terrestrial ambush predators ( most other predatory Hemiptera are aquatic ). The main examples of nonpredatory ___MASK47___ are some blood - sucking ectoparasites in the subfamily Triatominae . Though spectacular exceptions are known , most members of the family are fairly easily recognizable ; they have a relatively narrow neck , sturdy build , and formidable curved proboscis ( sometimes called a rostrum ). Large specimens should be handled with caution , if at all , because they sometimes defend themselves with a very painful stab from the proboscis . ___MASK7___ prolixus is the second most important triatomine vector of the Chagas parasite due to both its sylvatic and domestic populations in northern South America as well as to its exclusively domestic populations in Central America . It has a wide range of ecotopes , mainly savanna and foothills with an altitude of between 500 meters to 1 , 500 meters ( 1600 feet to 4 , 900 feet ) above sea level and temperatures of 16 ° C to 28 ° C ( 61 ° F to 82 ° F ). Sylvatic " R . prolixus ", as virtually all " ___MASK7___ " spp ., is primarily associated with palm tree habitats and has a wide range of hosts including birds , rodents , marsupials , sloths , and reptiles . ___MASK53___ infestans , commonly called winchuka "( vinchuca )" in Argentina , Bolivia and Chile , barbeiro in Brazil and also known as " kissing bug " or " barber bug " in English , is a blood - sucking bug ( like all the members of its subfamily ___MASK100___ ) and the most important vector of " Trypanosoma cruzi " which can lead to Chagas disease . It is widespread in the Southern Cone countries of South America ; that is , in Bolivia , Argentina , Uruguay , Paraguay , Chile , Brazil and Peru . In all these countries " T . infestans " is almost an exclusively domestic species , except in Bolivia where sylvatic forms have been recorded in rock piles in association with wild guinea pigs . This region has joined the control intervention called " Southern Cone Initiative " managed by the PAHO .