Recognising and Treating Flea Bites on Humans

Apr 24
09:41

2012

Brock Gollan

Brock Gollan

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Do Fleas Bite Humans?

Well,Recognising and Treating Flea Bites on Humans Articles fleas do bite humans if they cannot find any dogs or cats as their hosts under your roof. They would not hesitate to bite you for these blood-suckers also prefer human blood for food. You might find this disgusting, but you should be relieved to know that they cannot live on you except in a very few cases. Though fleas may not live on you, their bits can be one hell of an itchy experience.

Common Flea Species That Bite Humans

The three main species of flea that can bit human are:

  • Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
  • Dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis)
  • Human flea (Pulex irritans)

Human fleas are not usually found at homes and are often associated with the wild life. Aside from humans, they also feed on the blood of swine. Most dog fleas do not often infest homes. Aside from feeding on the blood of dogs, they also suck the blood of human and cats.

The most common specie of fleas that bites our pets and infests our homes is always the cat flea. Cat fleas both feed on cats and dogs, and though they do not live on non-furry hosts, they can and do bite humans.

These parasites are made small to hide in the fur coat of our pets. With their laterally flattened bodies, they can move through animal fur and with their backward-facing body hairs, they can cling on to your pet’s furry bodies. Don’t be surprise if you happen to find many of these parasites on your pet.

Why Can’t Fleas Live on Humans?

Why can’t these parasites live on us? Well, our hairless bodies do not provide these blood-suckers a place to hide. They even cannot cling on to our bare skin. The fur of our pets does make great hiding places for these pests and they can hang on to our pests even if they move. 

Recognising Flea Bites on Your Skin

If you are bitten, you can usually find the bite marks on your armpits, elbows, ankles and lower legs and waist. They can be very itchy which can develop you skin allergies. However, the response to the itch will depend on each individual.

The bites can appear in visible small clusters to large clusters of several itchy bumps or spots, depending on the severity of the bites. The mark is located at the centre of a raised spot or bump.

Effects of the Bites

Flea bites are very itchy, which can cause us to scratch our skin like mad – a thing which could put us at risk for secondary infections. They look very unattractive and embarrassing on people who are plagued by flea bites.

The worst thing about fleas is that they can use a wide range of hosts and transmit diseases or organisms from one host to another. Some of the diseases and organisms they transmit are murine typhus, bubonic plague and tapeworm larvae.

Treating Flea Bites

Here are some of the ways we can do to prevent flea bites on our skin from getting worse:

  • Prevent infection by washing the bites with an antiseptic soap.
  • Apply a topical medication (hydrocortisone cream or calamine lotion) on the affected skin.
  • Take up oral antihistamines to reduce the swelling and prevent allergy.
  • Do not scratch the flea bites.
  • Groom your pet regularly. Take your pet to the veterinarian for check-up.
  • Vacuum your home regularly. Pay attention to your carpets and upholstered furniture.

If flea infestation gets worse at home, maybe it’s time to call a pest control Sydney professional. A professional pest exterminator can help get rid of the blood-suckers pests.