Clive Anderson
I HAD THE unfortunate experience recently of having served as the unwitting meal for several hungry bedbugs. This happened in the hotel room of a major hotel chain in Florida, USA. At first I thought that I must have been mistaken, and the closely grouped, very itchy bumps on my arms and back must have been mosquito bites. But, I came across a May 12, 2005 article from Reuters which screamed: "Bedbugs threaten to put bite on the U.S. hotel industry". The article stated that even in the finest U.S. hotels there was a resurgence of the tiny blood-sucking pests. It noted rising complaints about these unwelcome guests that bite in the nights, leading to red faces at reception desks and more calls to pest control firms.
Improved hygiene and the widespread use of DDT in the 1940s and '50s all but eradicated the pest. In recent years the bedbug has staged a comeback. Entomologists are not sure about the cause of the resurgence but it has been linked to the reduction in the use of powerful pesticides and the rise in international travel.
ADULT BEDBUGS
Adult bedbugs are about a quarter inch long and are reddish brown with oval flattened bodies. These bugs do not fly but are able to move quickly over walls, floors and ceilings. The female bedbug lays up to 500 eggs during her lifetime, depositing them in secluded areas. The newly-hatched nymphs are no bigger than a pin-head. As they grow the nymph's moult shed their skins five times. They require a blood meal between each moult, and this is where you and I come in to the picture. Bedbugs are active mostly at nights, hiding close to where people sleep during the day. Because of their flattened bodies they fit well in tiny crevices in the mattresses, box-spring, bed frames and headboard. A sign of bedbugs is rusty or reddish brown spots of blood on the bed sheets or mattresses. These parasites can crawl for up to 100 feet to eat. Although they tend to congregate around the bed initially, they will spread out throughout the room and can also spread to adjacent rooms and apartments.
HOW THEY FEED
The bugs feed by piercing the skin with an elongated beak through which they suck out blood. The meal last three to 10 minutes during which time the person does not feel the bite. Before feeding, the bugs inject an anticoagulant that helps the blood to flow freely. Once they are full, the bedbug crawls off to a hiding place nearby to digest the meal. When it becomes hungry it will search for another free meal. Symptoms develop later and the severity of these symptoms varies from individual to individual. Some persons have no reaction while others develop very itchy bumps, weals and localised swelling. The severe itching is caused by hypersensitivity to the anticoagulant and may last for days.
TREATMENT
Treat with antihistamine tablets and 1 per cent hydrocortisone cream. Try not to scratch as this may result in infection. Characteristic of bedbug bites are rows of three or more bites closely located. This is the so-called breakfast, lunch and dinner sign. Thankfully, bedbugs do not transmit diseases and so are not considered a serious disease threat. However, the bugs are very
efficient hitchhikers and are usually transported in luggage, on clothing, bedding and furniture. The level of cleanliness in an establishment has little to do with bedbug infestation as the most pristine hotel rooms, apartments and homes have plenty of hiding places for this parasite.
With the summer travel season upon us, sleep tight and don't let the bedbug bite.
Dr. Clive Anderson is a dermatologist and venereologist, email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
