Though most bugs are just a harmless annoyance for people, one bug in Texas is far more than just a simple pest for those who live there.

They’re called “kissing bugs,” which makes them sound harmless, but they also have been dubbed “assassin bugs” for a very scary reason.

This bug spreads a highly dangerous disease called American Trypanosomiasis, or “Chagas Disease.” Around 400 dogs have died from the rare parasitic disease known as Chagas and in Texas alone.

Chagas Disease is spread by a parasite known as the Trypanosoma Cruzi, which is spread in the feces of the bugs. Kissing bugs also like to feed on blood usually around the eyes and mouth of a pet while they are sleeping. The disease is transmitted when fecal material gets rubbed into the bite wound or into a mucous membrane. Dogs can also get the disease when they eat the bugs.

Chagas Disease is often referred to “silent killer” because people and pets who have it don’t have any symptoms until the disease is already at a later stage. They only learn they have the disease when it attacks the heart muscles and eventually causes heart failure, and by this time, it is too late for treatment.

The first symptoms of Chagas Disease resembles that of a common flu, but they eventually become more severe and more painful. Symptoms of being bitten by an “assassin bug” include massive swelling of the eyelids, and even anaphylactic shock, which can cause asphyxiation and eventually death.

If you think your child or dog has been bitten by this bug, rush them to the hospital immediately. Find out more about this terrifying disease in the video below, and SHARE this story so your friends and family can see this as well!