Researchers Find Bed Bugs Could Carry A Deadly Disease

As bed bug infestations have continued to crop up in firehouses, schools, movie theaters and homes across the country, a team of researchers is now warning that these proliferating pests could prove to be more than just an itchy, pricey nuisance. According to a new study published on Monday, bed bugs are capable of transmitting a parasite that causes Chagas disease, an infection that in some cases can lead to cardiac or intestinal complications. The infection is found most commonly in Mexico, Central American and South America, but has been increasing its foothold in the U.S. "There are a lot of people with Chagas disease, and a lot of bed bugs. They are in our houses, in our beds -- and in high numbers," said Michael Levy, a researcher at University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and senior author on the new paper. He also co-authored a report in January that found bed bug populations in Philadelphia are growing by 70 percent a year. "But no one seems worried," he added. "We always hear that the bugs don't seem to be carrying anything." On their website, after lamenting that bed bugs "are resurging, causing property loss, expense, and inconvenience," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes on to offer some "good news" -- "Bed bugs do not transmit disease." The CDC declined to comment on the new study, which details a series of experiments that suggests bed bugs and mice are capable of transmitting Chagas disease to one another. Levy em...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news