Do Bed Bugs Carry Diseases?

Can you get anything serious from a bed bug bite?

Are there physical/physiological effects if you are living with bed bugs?

According to scientists, naturally occurring infestations of common bed bugs have been documented to have at least 28 different kinds of human pathogens in their bodies. 

Very careful and detailed studies by both entomologists and medical doctors have never shown that those bed bugs could infect even one of those pathogens to humans or lab animals. They have not been shown to transmit any human disease known so far, however, just their bite alone is enough to warrant Pest Control.   

When a bed bug feeds, it injects saliva into its blood-meal host, you, your family, your guest, etc., their saliva contains several proteins that can routinely cause an allergic response from most hosts. The severity and timing of those reactions depend on the bitten person’s immune response to the salivary allergens and they can vary from one person to another.

Common reactions to bed bug bites usually include local reddening, minor swelling, inflammation and very intense itching at each bite site.  A person being repeatedly bitten by bed bugs will be very uncomfortable and will probably develop lots of reddish, itchy welts and often have difficulty sleeping. 

The more bugs present, the more bites they inflict and the worse the problems usually become. Also, some people can be significantly affected by the social stigma of having a bed bug infestation in their home.

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