Bed Bugs Can Make You Sick, Even From Beyond The Grave

Bed Bugs don’t spread diseases, but new research shows that getting rid of them may not be enough because the waste they leave behind could still make you sick.

Researchers from North Carolina State University recently conducted a study, published in the scientific journal PLOS One, to determine how the bloodsuckers could be dangerous even after successful exterminations.

They examined apartment complexes that were infested with bed bugs as well as the indoor dust within the apartment. A professional pest company then successfully exterminated the infestations, and the scientists inspected the spaces a second time.

Researchers determined that the insects left behind a compound in their feces called histamine. Although histamines help the immune system fight off germs and repair injuries for humans, they can also have damaging effects, including rashes from physical contact and respiratory issues from inhalation.

After analyzing the results, histamine levels in bed bug infested homes were at least 20 times higher than histamine levels in homes without bed bugs,” coauthor Zachary DeVries said in a statement. These levels also did not decline significantly three months after the extermination.

DeVries recommends “A combination of heat treatment to eradicate bed bugs and rigorous cleaning to eliminate some of the household dust could be a way to reduce these histamine levels,”.