How to recognize a flea bite and can it be dangerous to health?

Fleas are insects that feed on the blood of humans or animals. There are more than 2,500,000 species of fleas in the world, and in our country there are several dozen of them. Only adults are able to suck the blood of their host (it can be, for example, a person, a dog, a cat, a rat). They need it to reproduce. This, in turn, is most intense at high temperatures - which is why they are often found in houses and attics. They live in close proximity to their victims.

What does a flea bite look like?

When insect marks appear on our body, we wonder what insect caused them. What does a flea bite look like? They are characteristic of him. clear red spots. They are small, and in the middle of them at the puncture site there is a blood stain. Some people may experience swelling around the bite site. This is usually too painful and itchy. Flea bites are usually very numerous and arranged in rows in a straight line. - this is due to the large number of individuals that hunt. Such bites can sometimes merge into a single spot and resemble a mosquito bite. A hives or rash may also appear around the bite. These formations can be both flat and convex. The bite is extremely serious for people with sensitive skin.
Flea bite marks usually appear on the lower parts of the body:

• on foot

• at the ankles

• on the calves

• sometimes these changes can also occur in other places where body heat increases, such as around the hips, waist, or under the knees.

Can a flea bite be dangerous?

Fleas can pose a threat to human and animal health by causing allergic reactions. When in contact with blood, fleas can also transmit diseases, some of which are really dangerous. While this rarely happens these days, it cannot be ruled out. However, this does not apply to all fleas - the parasite must first come into contact with a person or animal that is infected. Flea-borne diseases include:

• plague,

• typhus,

• tungiosis,

• tularemia (caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis)

• staphylococcus aureus infection,

• bartonellosis (cat-scratch disease).

There may also be a local inflammation of the skin, called flea allergic dermatitis (AFD) - diffuse erythema or blisters appear at the site of the bite. You must also remember that skin lesions can not be combed due to the possibility of bacterial superinfection, which may result in the need for antibiotic therapy.

How to treat a flea bite?

To protect yourself from fleas, it is very important to brush your pets regularly and check if they have these insects. Even when the host of fleas is a dog or cat, they can also be transmitted to humans. Once inside the house, fleas can jump off the animal, hide, and then attack people. When bitten by fleas, discomfort is felt, but it is usually short-lived - as is the redness, which disappears after a few days. Itching can be relieved with a variety of antihistamine creams or ointments available over the counter from pharmacies. Aloe vera compresses can help relieve uncomfortable symptoms. However, if you experience muscle pain, headache, purulent reactions, or fever after a flea bite, you should consult a doctor, as these may be signs of bacterial superinfection.

Flea Characteristics - Basic Information

The amount of blood that a flea drinks in one meal can exceed its body weight by 15 times. Insects move by jumping or crawling (they can make up to 30,000 jumps without rest). Fleas are small in size, but can jump up to 20 centimeters high, so it is not impossible to spot them. They have a brown-black body color and piercing-sucking mouthparts - it is with them that they drink the blood of their owners. The female human flea lays 3-5 eggs at a time, and can lay about 500 eggs in her lifetime. They usually stay in carpets, old mattresses, or cracks in the floor. Fleas breed throughout the year, but they do it most intensively in summer at high temperatures. Adults live 3 to 4 months. The pupae can hibernate and wait for months until their owner arrives.