Virus From Insect Bites

A host of viruses can be spread through insect bites. Find out which insects and viruses are most common below.

The Carriers and the Viruses

• Mosquitos. Mosquitos come in different species; Aedes, Anopheles and Culex. All three have differing habits, including when they are active, when they like to bite and their preferred habitats. Each species transmits a different virus or disease. Some include malaria, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever and lymphatic encephalitis.
• Bed Bugs. Bed bugs can be found in houses and buildings with damp walls. They are only active at night and transmit Chagas disease. Chagas disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis.
• Ticks. There are quite a few different species of ticks, each one carrying different viruses or diseases. Some of the most commonly spread viruses by ticks include tick-borne relapsing fever, Lyme disease, Q fever, tick-borne meningoencephalitis, tick-borne spotted fevers and more. Ticks can mostly be found in grassland areas. They like to migrate to the armpit or groin areas of the body and then implant themselves. If removed quickly, the risk of infection is low because ticks do not start to feed until they have been implanted for 12-24 hours.
• Lice and Fleas. Rat fleas have been known to transmit the plague, while lice transmit Trench fever, typhus and relapsing fever.
• Flies. Flies are some of the most common bugs out there today. They can be found in almost any climate. Horse flies transmit loa loa filariasis and black flies transmit onchocerciasis.

Contact the experienced professionals at Tick Killz today to schedule an appointment for your bug problem. Don’t let bugs fester. The longer you do, the more difficult it might be to rid yourself of a possible infestation. Tick Killz can be reached Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 973-627-4523.