Bed Bugs Coming Back To Bite Us

December 8th, 2011

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What Health Problems Can Bed Bugs Cause?

Although bed bugs have historically spread few types of illness, they are able to cause as many as 40 different diseases in humans. That said, in most cases, the most immediate health problem that bed bugs can cause are the welts around the area where they have fed. Like a mosquito bite, the severity of the welt depends upon the person bitten with some people having no reaction and others stronger reactions.

Over time, however, many people who are routinely fed upon by the bed bugs can develop strong allergies to the saliva injected by the insects. This can result in skin inflammation and swelling as well as rashes covering a large area of skin. According to 2006 research from the University of Cairo, many people with such reactions have developed immune system hypersensitivity to the bed bug saliva. Such ongoing irritation can subsequently lead to chronic discomfort and sleeplessness.

A less common, but more severe reaction to chronic bed bug exposure is the development of asthma. In research from Ain Shams University from 2 decades ago, researchers found that patients with asthma were 2.5 to 4 times more likely to react to having material from bed bugs on their skin. This suggests that their bodies had developed sensitivity from regular contact with these insects.

In addition to these health problems, a more modern and arguably more severe health issue caused by bed bugs is the spread of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. Research from the University of Toronto and St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver found this year that some patients admitted to hospital were infected with bed bugs carrying bacteria that were resistant to numerous common antibiotics including methicillin (MRSA), ampicillin and vancomycin (VRE). In this situation, the bed bugs were contained and did not spread.

However, other hospitals in several Canadian cities, in Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, and Des Moines have all had bed bug infestations. In some cases, the infestations were recurring and required considerable effort to eliminate. While antibiotic resistant bacteria were not mentioned in these occurrences, this possibility must now be considered in each case to prevent hospital patients from developing potentially life-threatening infections from antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Conclusions

Although bed bugs long have been a nuisance to humankind, the more severe health problems they now bring are very different than the ones that have affected the population in the past. With the bed bug’s resistance to pesticides and its ability to pass along antibiotic resistant bacteria, the bed bug has the potential to worsen the problem of antibiotic resistance, increasing the health risks for those who already suffer from compromised health.