Now The Question Is…Do Bed Bugs Spread Disease?

Nowadays, it seems that every time we open the newspaper or turn on the television we are inundated with stories of bed bugs infesting a hotel, apartment building, office building, or movie theater.  There are often stories of landlords who refuse to provide pest control treatment to kill the bloodsuckers, and stories of schools that have closed because parents are fearful that their kids will be bitten or worse yet, fearful that their kids might bring the creepy crawlers home with them.  At the end of each story, we are always reminded that although bed bugs are a nightmare to deal with, difficult to eliminate, and costly to eradicate…the disgusting bugs have one redeeming quality…they don’t spread any diseases…or do they?

New Jersey pest control experts, as well as citizens across the United States, are now anxiously waiting for a definitive answer to THAT question.

Canadian scientists recently conducted a study on five bed bugs that were collected on three patients that were being treated at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.  The bed bugs collected were crushed and examined, and three of the bugs were found to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.  MRSA is a serious antibiotic resistant bacteria that can lead to potentially lethal infections.  The remaining two bed bugs had vancomycin- resistant Enterococcus faecium, or VRE, which is a less dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria.

It is unclear from the study as to whether the VRE and MRSA bacteria existed on the bed bugs or in the bed bugs.  It is also unclear as to whether the human subjects transmitted the bacteria to the bed bugs or vice versa.  Because bed bug bite victims often scratch bite areas until there is an open wound, and MRSA enters the bloodstream via open wounds or cuts, it is understandable that the medical community is up in arms over this potential new discovery.   It should be noted that scientists previously have found bed bugs to carry at least 27 agents of human disease, but so far, there has been no evidence that bed bugs are involved in transmitting any disease agent to any human.

Having a bed bug infestation is horrible, despite the potential health risk that could be involved.  If you have any signs of bed bug activity in your home or business, it’s important to hire a licensed New Jersey pest control expert that is trained in bed bug eradication services.  Allison Pest Control will be able to properly assess your NJ bed bug infestation needs and provide you with the fastest bed bug removal services.