Kinds Of Bugs

It is not unknown that there are thousands of kinds of bugs in the body. The digestive tract, for example, contains one hundred trillion bacteria. However, all the bacteria are not harmful to our body. The ones that help the body and are beneficial for it are called pro-biotics, literally meaning ‘for life’. There are different kinds of bugs in the human body, taking up residence in different parts of the body.

Head louse is a kind of bug which is parasitic in nature and lives on human blood. Scientifically known as Pediculus humanus capitis, they attach themselves to the base of the hair on the human head. Eggs from these- lice stay on the shaft of the hair cells and take six to nine days to hatch. This causes itching of the skull and irritation. Moreover, this kind of bug can easily spread to other individuals, who are in close proximity of the affected person.

Body louse is another kind of bug common in human beings. They are more content to stay attached to human clothing. They only leave the safety of human clothing in order to feed on human blood. Washing clothes in water at high temperatures can destroy the bugs and prevent the eggs from hatching. Also, since they need blood to survive, lack of human contact for a week can kill these bugs.

Crab louse is another kind of bug that feed on human blood. However, in this case, they tend to cling on to pubic hair, eyelashes and others. Then itching of the skin is due to its oversensitivity to the saliva of these bugs. It causes tremendous irritation in the body.

The next kind of bug, which feeds on human blood, also feeds on the blood of some other warm-blooded animals. These are most commonly found in clothing, bedding, vehicles, and furniture. These are difficult to be spotted by the human eye since these are nocturnal creatures of the dark. These bugs, known as, Cimex lectularius, were eradicated in the 1940’s and made a comeback in the 1950’s.

Itch mite is a type of bug that lives on the human skin. The adults live on the skin for 4 weeks and the larvae also hatch on the skin. As these bugs continue growth on the skin, it causes an allergic reaction in the skin, accompanied by inflammation and itching.

Chigoe flea is a bug that takes shelter in the human skin and causes a blister to form on the skin. It starts with a blister and eventually spreads to form a full infection. These bugs are unable to reach the higher body parts in human beings, and are content to settle down for the feet.

Demodex Folliculorum lives in the human hair follicles, particularly in the forehead and cheek regions. They feed on dead cells and cytoplasm. The elderly people tend to have more number of such mites. The growth of these mites results in itching and hair loss, along with skin infections.