Good Question ????

[ASTAR1]

Can bedbugs spread the virus??????

[willbb]

That IS an interesting question...it looks like the answer is NO..from this article:


Similar to a mosquito’s motive, bed bugs are also bloodsuckers. Bed bug bites can create considerable anxiety and localized and occasionally systemic reactions. Different from mosquitoes, bed bugs may be a suspected transmitter of viral hepatitis:

1. HBV – Hepatitis B viral DNA can be detected in bed bugs up to six weeks after they feed on infectious blood, but no transmission of Hepatitis B infection was found in a chimpanzee model.

2. HCV – Transmission of Hepatitis C is unlikely, since Hepatitis C viral RNA is not detectable in bed bugs after an infectious blood meal.

Regardless of the presence or absence of genetic material, these critters have never been proven to transmit disease. However, if concerned about the potential for getting Hepatitis B from this insect, make sure you are vaccinated. Some suggestions for detecting bed bugs include:

· Look around. Bed bugs are large enough to see.

· Look under the mattress and in the seams, in and around the bed frame and along any cracks or peeling paint in the wall or picture frames.

· Check in the cracks of any wooden furniture, particularly antiques.

· You can also spot bed bugs’ droppings, which may be tinged with blood.

Although the thought of mosquito or bed bug bites may be disconcerting, we do share this planet with them. Without invitation, these bugs break our skin and extract our blood, actions which logically cause concern. Thankfully, the risk of being infected with HBV or HCV through insect bites is just shy of impossible. So using mosquito repellant and checking for bed bugs will make you more comfortable and spare some itching, but it won’t make a difference in your susceptibility to acquiring viral hepatitis.


References:

Hwang, W. Stephen, et al., Bed Bug Infestations in an Urban Environment, Emerging Infectious Diseases, April 2005.

http://hotels.about.com, Bed Bugs, Charlyn Keating Chisholm, About.com, 2007.

www.cdc.gov, Hepatitis B: Fact Sheet, Centers for Disease Control, 2007.

www.cdc.gov, Hepatitis C: Fact Sheet, Centers for Disease Control, 2007.

www.emedicine.com, Bedbug Bites, Robert A Schwartz, MD, MPH, WebMD, 2007.

www.hepatitisc.org.uk, FAQ, Glasgow and Scotland Hepatitis C Charity, 2007.

www.whfhhc.com, Can Hepatitis B be transmitted by a mosquito or insect bite?, Centers for Disease Control, 2007.

Posted by Editors at April 17, 2008 4:04 PM

[RobertBeWell]

HCV can only live in human hosts, and I think perhaps primates.

I don't think they draw blood anyhow. Not sure, never slept with any

:-)

RBW