Flea bite: symptoms, treatments and risks

When we talk about fleas, the first thing we usually think of is the image of an animal infested by these beings., frequently a dog or a cat, scratching continuously due to the itching.

But not only these animals can suffer flea bites, but it is also easy for them to infect humans. In this article We are going to talk precisely about the flea bite and what it means.

that's how fleas are

Fleas are small insects, usually between one and seven millimeters in length., which are part of the order of the siphonaptera or wingless insects. Its body is hard and resistant, having a relatively small head compared to the rest of the body. They have long and strong hind legs that allow them to make great jumps, this being the main mechanism by which they move and jump from one organism to another.

These are parasitic insects that feed mainly on the blood of other animals, especially mammals. For this, they have saw-shaped jaws that allow them to generate a tear in the skin through which they can be nourished. In the case of females, they need this blood to lay eggs, which they do frequently throughout their lives.

The eggs are usually disposed in the host, disposing in turn the mother flea small fecal remains in which it provides digested blood that can nourish the future larva. There are numerous species of flea, being able to find differences with respect to their morphology or the type of species they infect.

Flea bite: symptoms

Fleas bite to feed on other animals, mostly mammals. In this sense, they are frequent in animals such as dogs, cats, rats or horses. But they can also bite humans and jump from one species to another. Its bite tends to be on the extremities (especially the lower ones), at least in humans. The bite in question can become painful.

Once produced, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between flea bites and those of other insects. In this regard, those of fleas are characterized by easy bleeding when scratched (in fact, it is common to find traces of blood on clothes or sheets when bites are in humans) and for being arranged in rows, since these beings tend to move to different points to bite instead of focusing on a single area.

The reaction of our skin to a flea bite is usually rapid, appearing in a few minutes. A small bump with a dot in the center (where the flea has pierced the skin) usually appears. generates a high level of itching or pruritus and reddening of the area. It is common for the area to swell (and not just the bite itself).

A possible complication of a flea bite is the development of a skin infection, which will often be accompanied by fever and other typical symptoms of infection such as fever or tiredness. Sometimes it is serious cases anemia could occur.

Another possible complication is that which occurs in people who are allergic to its sting, which could cause the presence of blisters and skin rashes, emotional sensitivity, tiredness, diarrhea or breathing problems that could lead to shock anaphylactic.

Some diseases transmitted by fleas

As a general rule, a flea bite is annoying but does not usually cause major complications. However, as with mosquitoes, there is a danger that they carry some type of virus or bacteria that can transmit some type of disease.

Not surprisingly, it was the flea bite that caused the spread and spread of one of the biggest pandemics in history: the Black Death.. This disease was introduced to Europe by the fleas of rats that traveled on ships, through the transmission of the Yersinia pestis bacterium, and caused the death of between thirty and sixty percent of the population in the entire territory through which it spread (at that time most of the world acquaintance).

Although the bubonic plague (which generated buboes and caused notable swollen glands) is the one that generated the greatest pandemic and the most common and well-known, the truth is that there is also the pneumonic plague, the neurological plague and the septicemic. Although it is not currently considered the pandemic that it once was, there are still some cases of this disease.

Apart from the plague, it has been seen that the flea bite can transmit diseases such as typhus or leishmaniosis, among many others. You can also introduce tapeworm or tapeworm eggs if the flea is ingested accidentally or voluntarily (for example by some children). These diseases can be spread within the same species or passed to others, and it is not impossible for them to be transmitted from animal to human or vice versa.

Treatment

Generally, the flea bite per se is not treated or sought treatment unless it is accompanied by allergic or other symptoms.. Usually no treatment is received, with the possible exception of the application of cream. In cases of allergy, the use of antihistamines will reduce the symptoms. It may be necessary to inject epinephrine in cases of anaphylactic shock and/or the use of glucocorticoids. If some type of bacteria has been transmitted, antibiotic medication will tend to be used.

What is important is prevention: hygiene of the environment and of the person and/or pets will hinder the possibility of infestation. Likewise, it is essential to keep up-to-date vaccines for both people and animals so that certain diseases cannot be transmitted to them. In pets, the use of pipettes is recommended to avoid the approach of fleas. Special caution must be taken with pregnant women and children, as they are at greater risk.