How dangerous bed bugs are to humans: what diseases are carried by house bugs, how dangerous are bites in the apartment

Reader Question:

Lily

My parents got bedbugs, my husband and I came for a while to help get them out. But I can hardly stand it anymore. It is only the second day, and it is impossible to look at them - a very unpleasant picture. The nests are something dirty, it is impossible to wash the walls and furniture. But that's only half the trouble. I found that I am very afraid of parasites. At night I panic, thinking about the fact that not all of them have been eliminated yet, the parasites that have survived will try to attack.
Now I am carefully studying the question of how dangerous bed bugs are to humans in the apartment. I want to understand if there will be any other reaction of the body besides red spots. I am also allergic, which increases my fear. I have heard that bed bugs can carry some diseases, but I can't remember which ones. Can you tell me if there is a risk of serious consequences after coming into contact with this species of parasite, what should I expect. Thank you.

The author of the portal answers the question:

Opinion of an expert

Irina

Zoology major, Department of Biology, specialization - entomologist. "Be faster than a bedbug, then success will come!"

Only domestic parasites permanently live next to the person at home. They contribute to the development of negative processes in the body after the bite: there are red spots, allergic reactions, which can manifest as itching, swelling, pain, and sometimes Quincke's edema (depending on sensitivity). This is the greatest danger. It is generally believed that bed bugs contain pathogens of dangerous infections. Let's sort out what diseases bed bugs carry: plague, smallpox, anthrax, hepatitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, etc. But they can't actually infect humans with them. By comparison, garden bugs are less dangerous to humans; they can't even pierce the skin. The most frightening consequences after an encounter with a triatomine bug.

In my material below, you will learn about all the dangers that bed bugs can pose to an adult or child.

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What is the main danger to humans from the presence of bed bugs?

When parasites get into human habitation, they quickly reproduce. In this case, there is an unpleasant odor in the room, the sanitary condition of the house deteriorates, because traces of parasites (excrement, shells dropped by nymphs) remain everywhere. We must not forget about the bites that provoke severe itching, pain, especially after the attack of young specimens, as they are not yet able to inject an anesthetic substance. But there is another danger - diseases develop as a result of bites.

How dangerous bed bugs are to humans — Bed bugs carry many dangerous diseases

The greatest harm from bedbug bites

It is believed that bedwetters can contract infectious diseases. This is not yet a proven fact. It is necessary to understand the mechanism of the parasite bite in order to assess the degree of risk. When an infected person is attacked, blood enters the insect's digestive tract. When a bedbug bites another victim, it injects saliva through one channel of its mouthpiece and sucks blood through the other.

In this case, there is no contact with other biological fluids in the human body, as well as the contents of the digestive tract.

If you are wondering what the dangers of bed bugs are, assess the likelihood of blood from the parasite's body entering the human body. The following possibilities are considered: trauma to the body of the parasite directly next to the damaged external coatings of its new victim; penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the air environment, where (theoretically) negative particles can get through the respiratory system into the human body.

However, both options are unlikely. For example, bed bugs bite at night, and they anesthetize the puncture site so that they do not make themselves known sooner. Through the air the probability of penetration of harmful microorganisms is also low, because most of them do not live long in another environment (first they pass through the digestive tract of parasites, and then they remain in the excrements and appear in the air when they dry out). Moreover, such particles can get into the air if the room has not been cleaned for a long time, the dust is deposited on the surfaces.

When parasite excrement becomes abundant, the content of such pollutants in the air increases.

Given the low risk of infection, it is important to understand what the dangers of bed bugs to humans are. There is a high probability of developing allergies. When bitten, substances enter the human body. As a response to third-party bodily fluids, allergies develop. This is a common reaction to an insect bite.

Photo of skin lesions

The human body can also be affected by insect attacks. There are traces of bites. The more parasites, the faster the number of red spots increases. Other symptoms:

swelling;
hyperemia;
The red dot is caked blood in the center of the spot;
itching;
plurality of bites - they are usually from 2 or more, because the parasites get a portion of food in a sufficient amount when repeatedly attacked.

Furniture bugs (living in new and old furniture) — Bite furniture bug

What diseases do bed bugs carry?

You must always be aware of the risk of accidental infection. Disease-causing microorganisms quickly enter the bloodstream, and it will be impossible to stop this process if there is contaminated body fluid in the area where the skin is damaged. For this reason, it is important to know what diseases bed bugs carry. This list includes:

Hepatitis B;
smallpox;
yellow fever;
diseases caused by various fungi;
tularemia;
tuberculosis;

Q fever;
brucellosis;
anthrax;
plague;
typhoid fever;
Leishmaniasis and other diseases caused by protozoa.

Can bed bugs carry HIV?

This is one of the most important questions for anyone who has had to come into contact with these parasites. Everyone knows that bed bugs carry diseases. Some of the harmful microorganisms do survive in the pests' digestive tract. However, the answer to the question of whether bed bugs are dangerous after contact with an HIV-infected person is negative. This virus does not survive if ingested by the parasite.

Moreover, negative particles can not multiply under such conditions, and therefore are not even contained in the excrement of the parasites, do not get and the body of the new victim.

How bed bugs affect a person's psychological state

When bitten by such pests, sleep is disturbed. The main reason is the intense itching. Sometimes there are even scratches on the skin, because there is no way to control the strength of the unpleasant sensations. As a result, not only can sleep be disturbed, but also appears irritable. This problem is resolved by topical medications (antipruritic ointments). However, it is not recommended to use them indefinitely, so you need to eliminate the negative factor affecting the person.

Insect attacks can cause nervous tension and even a breakdown. The reason is fear of being bitten. Not everyone calmly tolerates contact with unpleasant parasites. Different people have their own phobias. Fear of attack by an insect that, moreover, crawls over the body, inserting its proboscis under the skin, can cause even a panic attack. Staying in an infested apartment will become impossible.

In this case, not only sleep is disturbed, but also loss of appetite, aggression, apathy and other negative signs.

Vector-borne diseases

This is the name given to diseases that develop as a result of bites from parasites, in particular mosquitoes, fleas, etc. The source is pathogens carried by insects. Vector-borne diseases include malaria and encephalitis. Bed bugs are also classified as domestic pests. Before drawing conclusions, you need to assess how harmful the bites of these parasites are.

Thus, insects of this species cannot infect humans with diseases.

How dangerous are bed bugs to allergy sufferers?

Some people cannot tolerate contact with external body fluids, substances, as in the case of a parasite bite. In this case, a strong allergyThe intensity of the negative reaction can be assessed by the size of the red spot on the puncture site of the skin. People with hypersensitivity and allergies are more likely to have a strong negative reaction.

Angioneurotic edema and anaphylactoid reactions can sometimes develop, but this possibility increases with multiple bites.

And the risk of such consequences is high in allergic people.

Danger to travelers

"When I went on a business trip, it so happened that I took new things with me, so I couldn't bring parasites with me from home. I found bites on my body after the first night in the hotel. And there were a lot of them - all my arms, back, and sides were bitten. I thought it was mosquitoes, but the puncture marks did not look like that - I noticed red dots in the center of the spots.

When I came home, the same thing happened, only bites Not a lot so far. I also wrote it off as mosquitoes, but a week later I realized that someone else was biting. I studied the information for a long time, and it turned out to be couch bugs. I began to think where they were from, and I remembered that I had been away recently. Since then I choose only expensive hotels, and on my return I treat things and my suitcase with a steam generator.

Breeding bed bugs in the apartment — Nest of bed bugs in the couch

The health hazards of bedbug bites for children and pregnant women

First of all, there is a higher risk of developing a negative reaction to a child than an adult to apartment parasite bites. The size of hyperemic areas is substantial, sometimes the diameter of spots reaches 5 cm or more. In addition, children have a worse tolerance to itching. In this case, scratching on the body occurs more often.

It is not recommended to traumatize the skin in these areas, as it can become infected by contact with dirty hands.

The proximity of pregnant women to bedbugs can also be harmful. The reason is the lack of ability to use standard medications, which are often recommended to relieve the condition. In addition, allergy sufferers can have uncontrolled reactions that harm the baby as well.

How to improve your health after bedbugs?

If an allergy has developed, it is recommended to adhere to a treatment regimen: antihistamine, antipruritic, anti-inflammatory drugs. This will help to remove the allergen from the body more quickly, reduce the intensity of the manifestation of negative signs, to alleviate the condition of the person.

Those who are not allergic can protect themselves with anti-inflammatory and anti-itching agents.

Favorable and unfavorable conditions for breeding bed bugs

Parasites are able to get into any apartment, but life in a new place becomes possible if a number of conditions are met:

Moderate humidity: too low a value of this parameter leads to the drying out of offspring (bedbug eggs), and high moisture content in the air environment promotes the development of fungus on the outer covers of the parasites, due to which bedbugs die quickly;

comfortable temperature (at least +20°C), the parasites feel best in a slightly warmer room (+25°C);
there is a food source - humans, in extreme cases, bed parasites attack animals;
there are enough hidden areas in the room where bed bugs can hide.

Question and answer section

If the question whether a parasite can infect a person with dangerous diseases is being studied, you should ask questions to a specialist. Entomologist will provide all the information.