Assassin bug, Cochabamaba, Bolivia, 2005
Assassin bug, or kissing bug (subfamily Triatominae), being studied in a laboratory in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2005. These insects are vectors for the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas disease in humans. The parasites can be passed to humans when the assassin bug takes a blood meal and defecates, leaving behind parasites on the skin. Around 6-7 million people are affected by Chagas disease, and most of these cases are in South America.