Last week, a bed bug story went viral. A group of Canadian scientists published a study with the results of their preliminary investigation of bed bugs collected from hospital patients. Three of five bed bugs they analyzed were carrying the bacterium MRSA. The other two were carrying VRE, another bacterium. Both these bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics—making them hard to treat. The study from the Vancouver scientists is at http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/17/6/pdfs/10-1978.pdf.
Bed bugs are a hot topic. MRSA is a hot topic. Put the two together and it's no surprise that this story got attention...even though it was about a very small study—five bed bugs. Time Magazine even published an article: http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/12/thought-bed-bugs-were-bad-try-bed-bugs-with-mrsa/
And now they are getting more attention and fame on this blog!
This study is another good step in the journey to figure out how bed bugs impact human health, but it doesn't change too much about what we know. Some points to keep in mind:
- The results are based on five insects. We need further investigation.
- The strains of bacteria found were the same as the ones found in the communities where the patients lived—meaning we can add bed bugs to the list of many objects in homes that can have the bacteria on them, but we don't know how big a factor the bed bug is in the MRSA situation nationwide.
An interesting study would be to eliminate bed bugs in a community that also has MRSA and see if the number of people hospitalized with MRSA decreases. That would be the scientific ideal, but the logistics of eliminating bed bugs in a community might make this study hard to pull off!
Entomologist Dr. Mike Merchant offered his valuable perspective on his blog too: http://insectsinthecity.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-bed-bugs-carry-disease.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InsectsInTheCity+%28Insects+in+the+City%29
The government source of information for pest vectors is the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MRSA is well-covered by CDC too: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/. Until research conclusively proves different, CDC's position on bed bugs still applies. Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CDC came out with a joint statement on bed bugs, identifying them as a pest of public health importance. Bed bugs have not been found to transmit disease, but do impact people's health. In this category, they are grouped with pests like head lice. The EPA-CDC joint statement is available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Publications/Bed_Bugs_CDC-EPA_Statement.htm
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