Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Cimicosis in Persons Previously Fed Upon by Bed Bugs.

Johnathan M Sheele1, Cameron Crandall2, Brandon F Chang2

  • 1Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, USA.

Cureus
|December 5, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Trends and Regional Variation in Heat-Related EMS Encounters in the US.

Prehospital emergency care·2026
Same author

Assessment of Inter-rater Variability in the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections in the Emergency Department.

The western journal of emergency medicine·2026
Same author

XGBoost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting) Can Predict Organisms Growing in Urine Culture from the Emergency Department.

The western journal of emergency medicine·2026
Same author

Association of community distress and risk of adverse events on the lung transplant waitlist.

JHLT open·2026
Same author

The location and degree of residual disease determines recurrence patterns and survival in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma after trimodal therapy.

Diseases of the esophagus : official journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus·2025
Same author

Characteristics of Emergency Department Patients Referred to an Undiagnosed Mass Clinic.

The western journal of emergency medicine·2025

Most emergency department patients fed upon by bed bugs develop a rash, but not all do. Rashes are more common than blisters, and current rash presence poorly indicates an active bed bug infestation.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Dermatology
  • Entomology

Background:

  • Bed bug infestations have significantly increased globally.
  • Pruritic rashes are common after bed bug bites, but prevalence varies.
  • Understanding the frequency of reactions is crucial for public health awareness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of rashes and blisters after bed bug bites.
  • To assess the correlation between reported rashes and actual home infestations.

Main Methods:

  • Surveys administered to 706 emergency department patients in Cleveland, OH.
  • Inquiries focused on current/past bed bug exposure and subsequent skin reactions.
  • Data analyzed to calculate percentages of infestations, bites, and reported symptoms.
Keywords:
bed bugbedbugblistercimex lectulariusemergency departmentprevalencepruriticpruritisrashsurvey

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • 24% reported a current or past bed bug infestation.
  • 37% reported being previously fed upon by bed bugs.
  • Of those fed upon, 68% reported a pruritic rash, and 24% reported blisters.
  • Only 2% of patients reported current home bed bugs, with 14% of those having a rash.

Conclusions:

  • A significant majority (68%) of individuals fed upon by bed bugs develop a rash, yet nearly a third do not.
  • Blistering reactions are less frequent than pruritic rashes.
  • Relying on reported rashes in emergency departments has low sensitivity for identifying home bed bug infestations.