Category Archives: Bed Bugs Pennsylvania

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Newswise PHILADELPHIAThe bed bug may be just as dangerous as its sinister cousin, the triatomine, or kissing bug. A new study from Penn Medicine researchers in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics demonstrated that bed bugs, like the triatomines, can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most prevalent and deadly diseases in the Americas.

The role of the bloodsucking triatomine bugs as vectors of Chagas diseasewhich affects 6 to 8 million worldwide, mostly in Latin America, and kills about 50,000 a yearhas long been recognized. The insects infect people not through their bite but feces, which they deposit on their sleeping host, often around the face, after feeding. Bed bugs, on the other hand, are usually considered disease-free nuisances whose victims are left with only itchy welts from bites and sleepless nights.

In a study published online this week in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, senior author Michael Z. Levy, PhD, assistant professor in the department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvanias Perelman School of Medicine, and researchers at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru conducted a series of laboratory experiments that demonstrated bi-directional transmission of T. cruzi between mice and bed bugs.

In the first experiment run at the Zoonotic Disease Research Center in Arequipa, Peru, the researchers exposed 10 mice infected with the parasite to 20 uninfected bed bugs every three days for a month. Of about 2,000 bed bugs used in the experiment, the majority acquired T. cruzi after feeding on the mice. In a separate experiment to test transmission from bug to mouse, they found that 9 out of 12 (75 percent) uninfected mice acquired the parasite after each one lived for 30 days with 20 infected bed bugs.

In a third experiment, investigators succeeded in infecting mice by placing feces of infected bed bugs on the animals skin that had either been inflamed by bed bug bites, or scraped with a needle. Four out of 10 mice (40 percent) acquired the parasite by this manner; 1 out of 5 (20 percent) were infected when the skin was broken by the insects bites only. A final experiment performed at the Penn bed bug lab in Philadelphia demonstrated that bed bugs, like triatomines, defecate when they feed.

Weve shown that the bed bug can acquire and transmit the parasite. Our next step is to determine whether they are, or will become, an important player in the epidemiology of Chagas disease, Levy said. There are some reasons to worrybed bugs have more frequent contact with people than kissing bugs, and there are more of them in infested houses, giving them ample opportunity to transmit the parasite. But perhaps there is something important we dont yet understand about them that mitigates the threat.

T. cruzi is also especially at home in the guts of bed bugs. Ive never seen so many parasites in an insect, said Renzo Salazar, a biologist at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and co-author on the study. I expected a scenario with very low infection, but we found many parasitesthey really replicate well in the gut of the bed bugs.

Wicked Cousins

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Penn Study Shows Bed Bugs Can Transmit Parasite that Causes Chagas Disease

Beds bugs have been discovered in a ground floor office suite assigned to the Treasury Department in the Finance Building.

A few bugs were initially discovered last week in the small confined area, said Treasury spokesman Gary Tuma. Exterminators were brought in last Wednesday evening to fumigate that room.

But the problem didn't go away.

A few more bed bugs were found on Monday and Tuesday of this week, prompting the department to have the exterminators return to perform another treatment of the same area on Tuesday evening.

Forty-four people work in that bureau, which Tuma declined to name.

"We believe we've identified the source and we are taking measures to address the problem in both our office and at its source," Tuma said. He declined to be more specific about the source of the problem, citing human resources restraints.

Nevertheless, Treasury and the Department of General Services will continue monitoring the situation and will take additional steps if necessary, he said.

He said staff in the affected area were informed of the problem once it was discovered last week and have been briefed on developments since then. A decision was made to alert all Treasury employees to the problem around mid-day Wednesday because more of the bugs were spotted this week, Tuma said.

Bed bugs are not known to transmit diseases but their bites can cause pain and itching.

In 2012, a bed bug infestation was reported at the Department of Labor and Industry building. Two years before, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency had a report of bed bugs. Several school buildings since then also have had problems with them.

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Bed bugs discovered in the Finance Building in Capitol ...

Updated: Tuesday, October 21 2014, 08:55 PM CDT

Reported by: Donna Kirker Morgan

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- When bed bugs started to spread in the United States 10 years ago there was really nothing very effective at getting rid of the nasty pests.

Exterminators have been working for years to figure out what's best to get rid of the bugs, but including using a non-chemical solution.

Bed bugs don't survive in extreme cold or heat, and that's why if bed bugs are suspected between your sheets, run your bedding through a clothes dryer and high for a full cycle.

Heat has the ability to kill all three stages of bed bugs, but some chemicals don't damage the eggs.

That's why some exterminators are turning to Entotherm. The process can kill bed bugs in four hours with temperatures between 120 and 140 degrees.

The process has been used in bedrooms, hotel rooms and offices.

Normal bed bug treatments take three parts, but the Entotherm is a one-shot deal.

The Entotherm process starts with exterminators sealing off an area and removing anything that may explode or not do well in heat. Sensitive electronics are also covered and drawers are opened to improve airflow, with all clutter moved off the ground.

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Battling bed bugs with extreme heat

MONACA -- After Joyce Townsend saw bed bugs on a mattress in a Dumpster, she told other neighbors -- eager for free furniture -- not to take anything, she said.

They quickly backed away, she recalled.

A four-story building for the Housing Authority of the County of Beaver, Monacatootha Apartments, had five units treated for bed bugs in the last month and a half, the authoritys assistant executive director, Brian Yaworsky, said.

In our region, were starting to see more instances of bed bugs, Yaworksy said. Say a decade ago, that wasnt an issue. Its just something now thats becoming more prevalent.

Bed bugs, small wingless insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, typically seek out hosts at night to painlessly sip a few drops of blood, according to the Allegheny County Health Department.

Those living in multifamily housing can be particularly vulnerable. The bugs can wander through walls and holes where wires and pipes are, according to http://www.achd.net/pr/bedbug.html, an Allegheny County web page that describes how people can address the problem.

Bill Todaro, a medical entomologist for the Allegheny County Health Department, said people often dont realize they have bed bugs because bites may not appear until several weeks or even a month later. So people might first think a mosquito or other insect bit them and spend time going to a dermatologist to assess the problem.

But a simple precautionary measure is to place climb-up insect interceptor traps to determine if bed bugs are climbing frames of a bed, Todaro said.

Other problem areas include seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, folds of curtains, drawer joints, electrical receptacles, screw heads and several other areas, according to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency web page.

Across Beaver County, the housing authority has had other units affected in Beaver Falls and Aliquippa, but the total that needed treatments was less than 10 this year, Yaworsky said.

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Housing authority: Five Monaca apartments treated for bed bugs

It was probably inevitable that bed bugs would begin to infiltrate other areas besidesNew YorkandNew Jersey. And, after several years of being at the epicenter of the battle against these blood sucking creatures, it appears New York is no longer alone in the fight. Bed bugs have taken wing (so to speak, since they are in fact, wingless) and landed inPennsylvania. Major outbreaks have been reported inPittsburghandPhiladelphia, as well as many other smaller towns.

In fact, inHarrisburg, several hotels were shut down or cited by the health department recently, and there have been infestations reported in several housing projects and restaurants as well. In one small hotel, the infestation was so bad that the police had to go to the hospital under hazmat conditions, complete with bio-suits.

With an already downturned economy, the question of whether smaller local Pennsylvania tourism businesses can survive such a negative is being debated openly. Even in the bigger metro areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, its no picnic when bed bug infestation reports make their way to the media. There are even several online bed bug reporting sites that inform travelers of what hotels to avoid. Not a pretty picture.

So, whats the up side? Well, sadly, when it comes to the bed bug problem, there isnt much up side, really. These bugs are very resilient, and have developed immunities to a whole host of pesticides. Add that to the fact that federal and local governments have become increasingly more hardnosed when it comes to allowing the introduction of new pesticides, while banning older, effective ones such as DDT. Thats a bad sign for anyone who wants to get rid of these menacing insects.

Researchers and entomologists are trying multiple approaches everything from new green pesticides to genetic splicing, with the possibility of introducing new strains into the bed bug population ones that cant reproduce, or are susceptible to more pesticides. So far, no magic bullet has emerged, but the research continues.The EPAeven held aBed Bug Summitlast year to try and bring various disciplines together to try and solve the rapidly spreading problem.

Pennsylvania area experts are reminding people to do what they can in order to minimize their exposure by taking reasonable and prudent steps, such as enlisting the services of a licensed, experienced professional pest management firm, and covering all of your bedding with effective anti-bed bug protection. This should also extend to your laundry storage in your home (a favorite place for bed bugs to infiltrate) as well as luggage and pillows when you travel.

Also, since its travel that presents the most likelihood of spreading bed bugs, individuals should take precautionary measures while in the jaws of the travel system. Bed bugs are notorious stowaways on planes, trains, buses, taxis, cruise ships and in all manner of lodging such as hotels, bed and breakfasts, nursing homes, dormitories, youth hostels and more. Their eggs are sticky and cling to your clothing, luggage even your shoes.

Coming home for the holidays from university? Your parents would be thrilled if you came ALONE! Thats right; the bed bug epidemic has also hit almost every university dorm in the entire state. You should check with your campus housing administrators to see if bed bugs have been a problem on your campus, and ask them what steps you should take to avoid them.

As for now, Pennsylvania, like New York before it, ponders what to do about the bed bug epidemic. So far, no easy answers have come to the forefront. So, the consensus seems to be batten down the hatches, read up on it, cover your mattresses, box springs and pillows and call a professional right away if you suspect a bed bug infestation.

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Pennsylvania has Bed Bugs - Knowledge Center - Featured ...