Bed Bugs & Diseases

Bed bugs (or bedbugs) can infest residences, but also places where different people sleep every night--homeless shelters, hotels and hospitals, according to the Mayo Clinic. The prevalence of bed bugs is not related to cleanliness, and anyone can be affected. Bed bug bites cause an irritating skin reaction.

Bites

• Being bitten by a bed bug leads to visible bite marks on the face and neck, as well as the arms and hands. The bites are red and often have a darker red area at their center. They itch and often appear in lines or clusters. The Harvard School of Public Health reports that people who repeatedly are bitten may develop an allergic reaction to the bugs' saliva. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include severe itching, as well as blistering and hives.

No Reaction

• While most people have some kind of reaction, either mild or sometimes serious, to bites from a bed bug, some people have no reaction, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Diseases

• Some insects that feed on human blood, such as mosquitoes and ticks, can pass on diseases. This is not true of bed bugs, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Infection

• Although bed bugs do not carry disease, a person who scratches the bite area can cause a secondary infection of the skin. The Mayo Clinic recommends seeing a doctor to treat a skin infection.