Bedbug bites: what they look like, why they are dangerous, treatment and prevention

From photos of bedbug bites on a person, you can clearly understand how dangerous these blood-sucking insects are. Such marks on the body appear within the first 7 days after ectoparasites have entered the house. If this happens, household members become their only source of food. By damaging the skin and drinking blood, pests obtain the nutrients they need.

The problem is further aggravated by the fact that along with their bites, these insidious insects inject foreign substances into the epidermis. They cause allergic reactions and serious viral diseases in humans. Therefore, when bedbug bites are detected, it is necessary to begin treatment promptly. At the same time, it is recommended to begin neutralizing dangerous parasites in the house.

What do bedbug bites look like?

The damaged area of ​​skin is almost always covered with a trail of red dots. At first, such marks can be easily confused with the bites of other insects, for example, fleas or mosquitoes. However, based on a number of distinctive features, it is possible to determine who left them.

Here are the main signs by which bedbug bites are recognized:

• one mark looks like a dense red dot, whose diameter varies from 0.1 to 1 mm;
• there are always several traces - they form a path from several points;
• when scratched, bedbug bites turn into large red spots;
• the marks often look like bleeding spots; if you scratch them for a long time, the itching may leave small scars.

Spiders

You can suffer from arthropods due to your own carelessness or carelessness. Spiders bite only when their own life is threatened. Humans have no nutritional value for them. Very rarely, house spiders that live in the corners of rooms, behind furniture, and household appliances are attacked; wild animals such as spiders, tarantulas, false black widows, etc. can bite.

The spider bites with two points. On the front of the head there are chelicerae with poisonous glands. The arthropod bites through the skin and injects poison. Pain appears instantly and local allergies develop.

Symptoms:

• bite two points;
• redness;
• edema;
• inflammation;
• a few days later an abscess appears after the bite, suppuration, itching.

Unpleasant sensations are present for 2-3 days, but the epidermis takes a long time to recover – up to 2 weeks. With an increased tendency to allergies, a deterioration in well-being is observed - weakness, dizziness, headache, abdominal discomfort.

Important!

The bite of a poisonous spider disrupts the functioning of the heart and respiratory system, and increases blood pressure. Without qualified assistance, a person dies from suffocation or heart attack.

Spider bite

Bites on the body from bedbugs: photo

Bite marks can appear on a person's arms, legs, abdomen, back and neck.
The affected area of ​​skin often appears red and swollen. They can be detected within a few minutes. This usually happens in the morning, since ectoparasites are most active from 3 to 6 am. At the moment of a bug bite, a person does not feel pain. This is due to the fact that when the insect pierces the skin, it releases an anesthetic. As a result, a person does not feel any discomfort for almost 20 minutes. The exception is bedbug larvae. They do not know how to inject enzymes, so their bites are painful.

During the night, dozens of characteristic marks can appear on the human body. This is explained by the fact that pests make night forays not alone, but in entire colonies. Having found a sleeping victim, each of them can make from 7 to 10 bites. Moreover, one ectoparasite has the peculiarity of leaving behind a whole scattering of red dots. Accordingly, there may be several such tracks on the body. This is evidenced by numerous photographs of bedbug bites.

If there are open wounds on the skin, the pest will not drink blood from them. Piercing the skin is a mandatory process before blood sucking.

Forms of encephalitis

The target organ of the disease is the brain (see statistics on tick-borne encephalitis). There are several forms of encephalitis, which have their own clinical characteristics.

• Feverish form

Diagnosed in 40-50% of cases. Fever, the main symptom of the disease, lasts 5-6 days at a level of 38-40 C. After the temperature drops, the main symptoms disappear, but weakness and lethargy remain for several more weeks. Complications occur very rarely.

• Meningeal form

This is 50-60% of cases. It occurs with severe general intoxication (hyperthermia over 38 C, fever, chills, sweating, high-intensity headache), as well as symptoms of inflammation of the meninges: nausea and vomiting, decreased elasticity of the occipital and neck muscles (difficulty when trying to bring the chin to the neck), facial asymmetry, dilated pupils. Recovery is long, remission occurs in a state of weakness and weakness. Chronitization of the process is possible.

• Focal form

The heaviest downstream. Characteristics: high temperature, impaired consciousness with delusions and hallucinations, severe intoxication, convulsions, disorientation in space, impaired breathing and heart function. Most often it becomes chronic.

• Chronic form

Develops over several months and even years after the disease. Frequency - 1-3% of cases of the total number of cases. The patient experiences constant twitching of the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle and face, tendon reflexes and muscle tone in the limbs decrease, the psyche is disturbed, and dementia develops.

How do bedbugs bite?

The oral apparatus of ectoparasites is designed in such a way that it is capable of piercing even the roughest and thickest skin. At the same time, the favorite places to attack blood-sucking individuals are areas with delicate and thin epidermis: eyelids, cheek areas, lips. They attract pests because the blood vessels underneath are as close to the surface as possible. Insects also often attack legs, arms and other exposed areas of the body.

If you carefully study the bedbug bites in the photo and the main symptoms, you can draw a number of conclusions about how they bite their victims:

• the wound after the attack begins to itch within 0.5-3 hours;
• if there are many bites on the body, severe pain is felt in their area, as with hematomas or bruises;
• over time, the damaged areas begin to darken;
• in some cases, bites become a cause for the development of allergies.

In general, bedbugs feed only on blood. They are not interested in alternative food sources. Bloodsuckers can attack not only people, but also cats, dogs, birds and other warm-blooded animals. What do bedbug bites look like on their body? The marks are the same - red dots and small swellings.

flies

The zhigalki that appear in an apartment or house towards the end of summer bite. The bite instantly causes pain and discomfort. Swelling, redness, and compaction appear. There is no itching, no severe allergies occur. Unpleasant symptoms disappear within a few days without special treatment, and the epidermis recovers quickly.

Important!

The danger of a bite lies in the possibility of infection. Flies are carriers of tularemia and anthrax. To destroy pests, chemical and mechanical methods are used. After a bite, you must immediately provide first aid, rinse, and disinfect the wound.

Why is a bedbug bite dangerous?

When attacking humans, pests can hypothetically transmit over 40 different diseases through saliva, some of which are deadly and incurable.
At the same time, the fact that they are capable of infecting people by transferring infected blood from one person to another has not yet been officially proven. However, scientists believe that due to the nature of their food, ectoparasites can theoretically transmit dangerous infections by infecting those they bite. Along with the possibility of infection with dangerous diseases, bites made by bedbugs pose the following threat:

• cause swelling of the skin;
• lead to the development of allergic reactions;
• increase body temperature;
• cause general weakness;
• lead to headaches.

note

If these ailments occur, you should consult a doctor. Delay in this matter can lead to anemia, especially in children if they are subject to regular attacks by ectoparasites.

Causes

Urticaria is a group of pathologies of an allergic nature, the basis of the pathogenesis (mechanism of development) of which is an immediate hypersensitivity reaction. The leading symptom is the presence of rapidly emerging and severely itchy blisters that disappear without a trace within up to 24 hours without secondary skin changes. There are several main reasons for the development of urticaria:

1. Food products (citrus fruits, fish, nuts, peanuts).
2. Medicines (antibiotics, vitamins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
3. Insect bites (wasps, bees, hornets).
4. Infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, fungi, helminths).
5. Autoimmune pathologies (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis).
6. Physical triggers (low and high temperature, vibration, sunlight, pressure, humidity).

Factors that contribute to the development of urticaria include:

• hereditary predisposition;
• diseases of the digestive tract, endocrine and nervous systems;
• infections and neoplasms.

Stress plays a part. It has been proven that nervous tension (including due to a change of place of residence, climatic conditions) affects the immune system and can lead to malfunctions in its functioning, which sometimes results in allergic sensitivity.

How to distinguish bedbug bites from allergies?

After an attack by pests, redness and swelling appear on the human body. At first, this reaction of the body can be confused with an allergy.

There is actually a big difference between allergic symptoms and bedbug bites. It can be determined, for example, by the site of the reaction. Allergies, as a rule, appear throughout the body, without clearly defined contours and edges, while traces of an ectoparasite attack are visible only on certain areas of the skin (often they form a trail of bites).

Another distinction can be made based on the skin condition of other family members. If there are no signs of damage on their skin, then most likely you have a common allergy. This is due to the fact that bloodsuckers in most cases attack not just one person, but immediately everyone living in the apartment.

List of sources

• Stanek V.Ya. Illustrated encyclopedia of insects. Prague: Artria; 1977. .
• Safina L.F., Fassakhov R.S., Reshetnikova I.D. Skin manifestations of allergic reactions to stings of hymenoptera insects // Practical Medicine. - 2011. - No. 3, - pp. 140-142.
• Dremova V.P. Urban entomology. Harmful arthropods in the urban environment. — Publishing house “IzdatNaukaServis”. Ekaterinburg. - 2005, 278 p.
• Lawlor G. – Jr., Fischer T., Adelman D Ch. Allergy to insect venoms. in the book Clinical immunology and allergology - M.: Praktika, 2000. pp. 346 – 356.
• Zaikov S.V., Mikhey L.V., Kulik L.G., Allergy to non-stinging insects // News of medicine and pharmacy. - 2010. - No. 345. - p. 36-37.

What do bedbug and other insect bites look like: existing differences

Traces of lesions can be distinguished by a number of signs.
First of all, you need to pay attention to the area of ​​skin bitten by pests. If red scars lined up in a path are visible on it, then this clearly indicates the activity of bedbugs. Other insects, such as mosquitoes and lice, bite a person randomly, leaving marks in different places. As for fleas, they mainly prefer the lower limbs. From photographs of bedbug bites, it can also be determined that the lesions have pronounced swelling and swelling. These reactions usually appear within 1-2 weeks after the pest attack.

A completely different symptomatology is observed after mosquito bites - large pale red blisters appear on the body. They pass faster - within 1-2 days. Flea and lice bites on the body heal at the same speed. They do not have swelling, but make themselves felt as small red spots. The itching is not as severe as after bug bites. This manifestation of the body’s reaction is typical for adults and children.

Classification

Based on the method by which poisons/allergens enter the human body, insects can be divided into two groups:

• stinging (wasps, hornets, bees, bumblebees, ants, etc.);
• non-stinging (biting/blood-sucking) - cockroaches; locusts, mosquitoes, flies; grasshoppers, mayfly, beetles; fleas; moose lice, mosquitoes, mosquitoes, horse flies, midges, etc.

Insect bites are divided into:

• by their type (bee, mosquito, wasp, gadfly, flea, hornet, and so on);
• by type of reaction to them (toxic, allergic).

According to the severity of the lesion, they are distinguished:

• Light flow. Characterized by the appearance of predominantly local signs. Develops against the background of the bite of one/several insects, the venom of which has a moderately toxic ability. As a rule, it does not require medical attention, with the exception of children under 3 years of age.
• Moderate weight. Manifests itself with local/moderate systemic symptoms caused primarily by the neurotoxic effect of the toxicant ( urticaria , Quincke's edema without manifestations from the respiratory tract). Disturbances from the nervous system develop from the bites of several dozen stinging insects, and a hypersensitivity reaction occurs regardless of the number of stings/bites.
• Severe course (severe toxic reactions, anaphylactic shock , angioedema with damage to the central nervous system and hemolysis of red blood cells). They usually develop against the background of multiple bites.

Pronounced symptoms after bedbug bites

Typical symptoms after a pest attack:

• itching and burning in the affected areas of the body;
• swelling in bitten areas;
• general weakness;
• in some cases - an increase in temperature.

Scratching the bite site increases the risk of introducing infection into the body. If this happens, a deterioration in well-being and the development of depression are added to the general symptoms. Especially impressionable people often become over-irritable and fearful when they see photos of bedbug bites. This leads to the development of insomnia. A person simply cannot sleep at night, fearing that insects will bite him. As a result, performance is significantly reduced during the daytime.

What diseases are transmitted by insects

Allergic manifestations at the site of the bite are the most common reaction, but this is not the only thing that home pest bites can lead to. The most dangerous thing that a bite can “reward” you with is an infectious disease, the pathogens of which enter the bloodstream during the bite.

Difficult-to-treat infections include:

• Dengue fever and amaryllosis or yellow fever, spread by mosquitoes;
• Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis, which can be caused by the bite of an infected tick;
• Lice are carriers of relapsing and typhus ;
• Bed bugs are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus , which causes a number of infectious diseases of high and moderate severity;
• Tularemia, plague , salmonellosis , and typhus can be transmitted from fleas to humans.

This is just a short list of infections in the spread of which domestic insects play an important role.

Allergic reactions

In 80% of cases, a bedbug attack leads to the development of allergies. It can manifest itself not only on the skin, but also on general well-being. Allergic reactions are expressed as follows:

• rash on the bitten areas or all over the body (photos of bedbug bites show this allergy is especially noticeable in children);
• headache and fever;
• red spots and swelling in the affected areas.

The body's reaction to bites manifests itself differently in everyone. Particularly severe allergies are traditionally observed in allergy sufferers and women/children. As for the duration of allergic reactions, it directly depends on the characteristics of the body and the strength of the person’s immunity at the moment the bugs bit. On average, allergies go away within 3 to 14 days.

Dust mites

Dust mites, Dermatophagoides, have microscopic dimensions of 0.1-0.5 mm. There are about 150 species of dust mites. Being a synanthropic arthropod, it lives in human dwellings. The life cycle is 60-80 days. City apartments are an ideal habitat for dust mites, since they have an optimal environment for reproduction and life activity: a temperature of 20-25 C and high humidity, plus a constant source of nutrition, which is the dead epithelium lost by humans. They are found in large quantities in house dust, beds, sofas, and carpets.

Harm to humans

These small inhabitants of city apartments do not bite humans, but cause enormous harm with their vital activity. Dust mite feces contain digestive enzymes that contribute to the destruction of human skin and, when inhaled, cause severe allergic reactions, including bronchial asthma. Tick-borne bronchial asthma is characterized by spring-autumn exacerbation and night attacks.

The most common causes of dust mite fecal antigens are atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis.

Symptoms of tick allergy:

• persistent rhinitis not associated with ARI, which is difficult to treat with vasoconstrictors and other drugs. It begins suddenly and also ends suddenly, in advanced cases it is present almost all year round;
• nasal congestion;
• lacrimation;
• headache;
• itching and redness of the skin, dryness and flaking;
• dry cough;
• attacks of suffocation at night.

Treatment of allergies caused by dust mites

Mite allergy is a global problem, since complete destruction of house dust mites is impossible, and every year an increasing number of people are registered with increased sensitivity to dust mite antigens, especially children (the increase in children with allergies is 6% per year).

This is the most active household allergen; the number of dust mites in 10 mcg per 1 g of dust increases the likelihood of developing bronchial asthma by 3 times.

The most effective is ASID therapy: allergen-specific immunotherapy. The method involves introducing an extract of house dust mite allergens into the body in gradually increasing concentrations. Thus, the immune system gradually gets used to the allergen, the severity of the allergic reaction decreases, and overall sensitivity to this allergen decreases. Correctly carried out treatment leads to the fact that the allergic person completely stops reacting to the allergic component of the house dust mite and gets rid of symptoms.

This method is preferable to traditional treatment with antihistamines and is used in children over 5 years of age and adults. Allergies, especially to house dust mites, are difficult to correct with anti-allergenic drugs; the body gets used to them, requiring the use of increasingly stronger drugs in higher concentrations. At the same time, a person’s immunity weakens, the body becomes sensitive to new allergens, and allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis gradually develop into asthma.

Maintaining cleanliness of the premises is of no small importance:

• carrying out daily wet cleaning
• minimizing “dust-collecting” objects: carpets, soft toys, blankets
• constant ventilation of premises
• imposing special air purifiers that supposedly clean the air, newfangled vacuum cleaners is more of an advertising ploy by the manufacturers of these products. No device can 100% get rid of dust mites. And we have no influence whatsoever on the tick infestation of public places, kindergartens, and offices.

A variety of hardening procedures, good nutrition, proper drinking regimen and a healthy lifestyle have a positive effect on the immune system and increase the body's resistance to allergens.

When and who do bedbugs bite first?

The traditional hunting time for ectoparasites is between 3 and 6 am. This is due to the fact that bedbugs are afraid of daylight. In addition, it is much easier for them to attack a sleeping defenseless person. During the day, only individuals experiencing severe hunger attack people.

First of all, they try to attack children and women. Their skin is much thinner than that of men, which allows pests to easily reach the circulatory system. By the way bedbug bites look, you can understand that their favorite places are the arms, legs, stomach and cheek areas. They also often prefer the lips and eyelids, where the skin is thinnest.

More about the parasite

One of the human companions, the linen or bed mite, lives for several hundred years and is distributed in all parts of the world. He feels comfortable with a person. It feeds on dead skin cells, dandruff, lost hair, hides in the folds of dirty bed linen, in pillows, blankets, mattresses and feels great in a dusty room that has not been cleaned for a long time.

Note! A person does not notice the presence of a bed mite if he has good immunity and does not know what an allergic reaction is.

Sensitive people have it more difficult. Their skin and respiratory organs respond to pest bites with endless runny nose, coughing, sneezing, and skin irritations in the form of a small red rash.

It is possible to examine a bed mite (it is a type of saprophyte) only with the help of a microscope, it is so small.

A tick (as we see it in photographs) looks like this:

• yellow-brown;
• the body is flattened, covered with chitin;
• length – from 0.2 to 0.6 mm;
• six limbs with suction cups;
• head in the shape of a triangle.

An adult tick lives for a month and a half, during which time the female lays more than three hundred eggs.

Effective treatments

If you find bite marks, the first step is to wash the affected areas with warm water and antibacterial soap.
This will help prevent the development of dangerous symptoms such as itching and bloating. Then you can use available tools, which are found in almost every apartment:

• soda solution. They need to wash the bitten area. Another option is to apply baking soda to the affected area for 10-15 minutes;
• green or black tea. If you find bed bugs bitten in the photo, apply the tea leaves to the affected areas;
• chamomile, dill or plantain. From these funds you can make an infusion for washing wounds;
• ice. It is recommended to apply to affected areas on the body.

Each of these remedies can help treat bite marks at home for a short time and prevent the development of serious symptoms. To consolidate the results of treatment, it is recommended to use ointments and balms such as Fenistil, Belogent, Iricar, Kuterid and Cikaderma. They will help heal the skin, regardless of what kind of bedbug bites you find in the photo.

If allergic reactions occur on the legs, arms and other parts of the body, it is necessary to use antihistamines such as Erolin, Lomilan, Suprastin, Cloridol and Diazolin. Before taking them, it is important to consult with a doctor, who will accurately recognize which areas of the body are itching and whether this is a sign of another allergy in the body. It is not recommended to self-medicate using pictures and instructions on the Internet, otherwise there is a risk of aggravating the development of the disease.

Diagnostics

There are several main clinical criteria in favor of urticaria:

1. Sudden onset of itching and blisters.
2. The presence of a connection with the allergen (most often, contact with it occurs 30–60 minutes before signs of a reaction appear).
3. The fleeting nature of the rash (that is, rapid disappearance without secondary elements).

In addition, anamnesis is important - information about past episodes of pathology, the presence of allergies (not necessarily urticaria) in close relatives. Additional methods are used to clarify the diagnosis.

Laboratory tests

May include different types of tests - from basic general clinical ones (determining the level of hemoglobin, red blood cells, counting leukocytes, examining urine and feces) to complex special ones:

• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies to reaction provocateurs - food products, insect venom, etc.;
• determination of markers of infections (in particular, viral hepatitis);
• serum tryptase level test;
• assessment of thyroid function indicators (hormonal panel).

It is also important to identify signs of helminthiasis, for which stool is examined for worm eggs and the use of ELISA to detect antibodies to parasites (giardia, opisthorchid, toxocara).

Skin tests

These are provocative tests to check for sensitivity. They involve applying a potential trigger to the forearm or back and waiting within a specific time period (minutes, hours).

For example, if the patient reacts to cold, a piece of ice in a moisture-proof wrapper is applied to the skin (to prevent contact with water, which can also cause urticaria). In case of intolerance to drugs or food, use special media that contain the suspected allergen. If signs of a reaction (redness, swelling, itching, blister) occur during the observation period, sensitivity is considered proven.

Ways to protect yourself from bites

The best option when bitten by bedbugs is to completely disinfest the apartment. But what to do if specialists cannot arrive on the day of the call? In such a situation, in order to reduce the likelihood of pest attacks not only at night, but also during the day, you can use any of the traditional methods. All of them are aimed at repelling insects with the help of pungent odors.

Here are the most popular methods, using which you will know how to get rid of bedbugs before the exterminators arrive:

1. Any cosmetics.
2. Perfume and lotion.
3. Essential oils with orange, eucalyptus or pine aroma.
4. Fish fat.
5. Clove decoction with eau de toilette.

These are the most popular means that are usually applied to the body to protect against linen, bed and other bugs. When the complete disinfestation of the apartment is completed, they must be washed off and immediately seek help from a dermatologist. The doctor will examine the affected areas of the body, after which he will tell you how to treat the wounds further and how long it will take for the bites to heal. It is recommended to visit a dermatologist until all wounds on the body have completely healed.

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Prevention measures

To avoid infesting your home with bedbugs, you can use three effective methods:

1. Purchase an expert-approved anti-parasite spray to treat your home.
2. Use parasite detectors to identify them in the apartment.
3. Buy a special mattress cover that will protect your old mattress from insects or prevent them from appearing on new furniture.

To kill fleas and prevent their reproduction, daily wet cleaning should be done. To repel parasites, repellents that are safe for humans (wormwood oil, etc.) are used. Animals must be treated with veterinary insecticides.