What infections can bed bug bites cause?

Author: Prof. Darrel Farrell I  |  Last update: Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people. Bites can cause itching, loss of sleep, and, rarely, allergic reactions. Prevent bed bugs by regularly looking for signs of infestation.

What infections can bed bugs cause?

Some of these effects include: Allergic reactions to their bites, which can be severe. Effects ranging from no reaction to a small bite mark to, in rare cases, anaphylaxis (severe, whole-body reaction). Secondary infections of the skin from the bite reaction, such as impetigo , ecthyma , and lymphangitis .

Can bed bug bites cause skin infection?

Bed bug bites irritate your skin and can be a discomfort to your daily routine. Bites can cause infection if you scratch too much. Bed bug bites often lead to sleep deprivation due to itching, stress and anxiety inside of your bedroom after finding an infestation.

Can you get sick from being bitten by bed bugs?

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown blood-sucking, wingless insects. Bedbug bites usually clear up without treatment in a week or two. Bedbugs aren't known to spread disease, but they can cause an allergic reaction or a severe skin reaction in some people. Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed.

Can you get a parasitic infection from bed bugs?

Bed bugs, like the triatomines, can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases in the Americas, research has confirmed. The bed bug may be just as dangerous as its sinister cousin, the triatomine, or "kissing" bug.

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What are the symptoms of Chagas disease in humans?

What are the symptoms of Chagas disease?
  • Mild, flu-like symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, body aches, and headaches.
  • Rash.
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Diarrhea.
  • Vomiting.
  • Swelling or a sore near the eye or on the side of the face where the bite or infection occurred (visible in fewer than half of infected people)
  • Enlarged glands.

What are the neurological symptoms of bed bugs?

Exposure to bed bug infestations could also leave victims and their families dealing with many mental and emotional afflictions, including depression, PTSD, anxiety, insomnia, and fear, for example. However, recent reports point to exposure to bed bug infestations leading to brain aneurysms or strokes.

Can bed bug bites make you feel unwell?

Some people have a reaction to the bites. They can be very itchy and there may be painful swelling. A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) is also possible but rare.

Can bed bug bites affect your immune system?

These allergic reactions can be triggered by a number of different chemicals found in bed bug saliva, which is why symptoms are so varied. Your immune system might be reacting to an anesthetic chemical that bed bugs use to prevent people from noticing them when they bite.

Can bed bugs go in your private parts?

No. Bedbugs do not typically hide on your body and prefer to stay on places like mattresses and clothing.

What does sepsis from a bite look like?

blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, lips or tongue – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it, the same as meningitis. difficulty breathing, breathlessness or breathing very fast.

What are the lasting effects of bed bug bites?

Some harmful effects of bed bug bites include: Hives, rashes, itching, and burning sensations for those who are allergic to them. Possibility of bites getting infected if not treated properly. Scarring that can persist for a few months.

Can you get cellulitis from bed bugs?

Potential complications of bed bug bites and infestation include: Localised infections including cellulitis, folliculitis, and infected eczema. Anaemia (a few reports of this secondary to chronic bed bug infestation) Anaphylaxis.

Can bed bugs cause staph infections?

Although there have been reports of persons developing methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, such as boils or abscesses associated with bed bug bites, it turns out the bed bugs really weren't directly at fault.

Can bed bugs transmit hepatitis?

Detection of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in unengorged nymphal and adult bed bugs from huts in Africa (Wills et al. 1977, Jupp et al. 1978, Ogston et al. 1979) provided evidence that bed bugs acquire virus from humans, and might be capable of transmitting HBV either mechanically or biologically.

Can bed bug bites cause bacterial infection?

The local trauma from bedbug bites can lead to secondary bacterial infection, causing ecthyma, cellulitis, or lymphangitis. There is some evidence that bedbugs may also be a vector for hepatitis B and Chagas disease.

What kind of diseases can you get from bed bugs?

They feed on blood, but are not known to spread any diseases to humans. Some people can be allergic to their bites. Getting rid of a bed bug infestation is not easy, but there are steps you can take to control the problem.

What is the most common symptom after a bed bug bite?

Bedbug bites usually cause itchy welts. These welts usually appear in a zigzag pattern as show in the photo below.

How sick can bed bugs make you?

Although bed bugs are not known to spread diseases to people, they can cause itching and loss of sleep. Sometimes intense itching can lead to excessive scratching and possibly a secondary skin infection. An allergic reaction to several bites is possible.

What are the flu-like symptoms after a bug bite?

Flu-like symptoms: Go to the emergency room if symptoms like chills, headache, sore throat and fever last more than 48 hours after a bite or sting or if symptoms worsen rapidly.

What chemical kills bed bugs and their eggs?

Pyrethroids are synthetic chemical insecticides that act like pyrethrins. Both compounds are lethal to bed bugs and can flush bed bugs out of their hiding places and kill them.

What are the long term effects of bed bug bites on humans?

Background: In some individuals, psychological sequelae resulting from bed bug biting events include nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance (to keep the bugs away), insomnia, anxiety, avoidance behaviors, and personal dysfunction. These symptoms are suggestive of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

What is bed bug psychosis?

After a bedbug infestation, some participants experienced anxiety, depression, controlled bipolar disorder and monosymptomatic delusional disorder in which one imagines that bugs are crawling all over the skin.

Can bug bites cause vasculitis?

Studies show that 75 percent of people with IgA vasculitis develop the disease after an upper respiratory or gastrointestinal (GI) infection. Other possible triggers for IgA vasculitis include certain medicines, food reactions, insect bites, some vaccinations and, rarely, cancer.

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