Is Bed Bugs Contagious?
WouterBedbugs are hard to detect and often have a similar appearance to a mosquito bite or an allergic hive. However, they can sometimes be visible if they hitchhike with another bug. The critters are about the size of an apple seed and have six legs. They usually stay hidden during the day and are only visible when they’ve had a recent meal.
Bedbugs communicate by giving off pheromones. They have a musty smell, similar to that of rotting wood or mildew. You may also smell their feces or the odor of mildew. These odors can be a sign that bedbugs have become overpopulated.
While bedbugs are not known to transmit many types of diseases, they are known to carry around 40 different microorganisms. These have been isolated from bedbugs in human habitats and in laboratory animals. Some of these pathogens are directly transmitted from person to person, and some of them have even caused diseases in humans. However, there are still no definitive studies that show that bedbugs are disease vectors. This is partly because most studies used old methods for identifying microorganisms. Biological approaches to identify new species are needed to confirm that they are indeed vectors of these organisms.
Whether bedbugs are contagious depends on the type and extent of infestation. Some infestations are more common in lower-income neighborhoods, and adults in these neighborhoods are more likely to report the presence of these creatures than those in higher-income neighborhoods. Poor adults often can’t afford to hire a professional pest control company, or they may have an unresponsive landlord. These people also tend to rely on secondhand and donated furniture, which increases the risk of catching bedbugs. The result is that bedbug infestations are not random but a predictable result of certain socioeconomic factors.
