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What Does A Chigger Bite Look Like And How To Treat It
Chiggers, also known as red bugs, can bite humans, causing itchiness, inflammation, and skin discoloration. Symptoms typically resolve independently. Several treatments can help reduce irritation.
Read on to learn about chiggers, what their bite looks like, and how to treat the bites.
Chiggers are small mites from the Trombiculid family that inhabit woodland and grassy environments. When they're in larval form, they can latch onto human skin and cause irritation through their bites. Despite what you may have heard, they do not actually burrow into the skin.
As adults, chiggers are not parasitic. They are only a problem for humans when they're still in larval form.
Chigger larvae are very small, averaging between 1/120 and 1/150 inches in diameter, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (ACOD), which makes them hard to see.
They're most likely to attack exposed skin folds of the body or areas covered with tight clothing that they can penetrate.
These creatures feed on bits of skin, secreting a digestive enzyme, which causes intense itching and irritation. This condition is called trombiculiasis.
Where do chiggers bite?Chiggers will usually attach to clothing and migrate their way to the skin. They often show up on the:
Bites from chigger mites can cause:
You will not feel it when a chigger latches on, and you probably will not feel anything when it bites. However, most people report symptoms within hours of the bite.
The most problematic symptom of chigger bites is the intense itching and formation of bumps that may look like welts, blisters, pimples, or hives.
Chigger bites are most common in places where clothing fits tightly. Most chigger bites occur around the ankles, waist, armpits, crotch, or behind the knees.
ComplicationsDisease transmission via chigger bites is an understudied area. However, chigger bites can transmit scrub typhus in rare cases. Scrub typhus can result in multiple organ failure and can be potentially fatal without treatment.
The transmission of other diseases is possible, but evidence in this area is lacking.
Chigger bites are largely seasonal in the Northern Hemisphere. The larval mites mature between June and September, making trombiculiasis most common in the summer and fall. In more tropical regions around the world, chigger mites feed year-round.
Common areas where you may be subject to chigger bites include overgrown grassy areas, forests, or moist ground near bodies of water.
Chigger bites can be distinguished from other common arthropod bites in certain ways.
Bed bug bites tend to occur in a clustered or zigzag formation in raised red bumps, while chigger bites are more grouped around areas where tight clothing meets the skin and may show up as either flat or raised.
Flea bites and chigger bites occur in similar patterns and may resemble each other. The main difference is that chigger bites tend to be hard and scabby in the center.
Mosquito bites tend to be larger bumps that show up individually rather than in clusters.
Treatment focuses on symptom management, such as reducing itching and swelling.
The following remedies may help reduce inflammation and itching.
In more complicated situations, a professional may prescribe:
It can take up to 2 weeks for chigger bites to heal.
If you suspect you have chigger bites, immediately wash your skin with soap and water and clean any clothes you wear. This will get rid of any remaining chiggers on your body.
In the meantime, try to avoid scratching the area, as further breaks to the skin barrier can increase the risk of further infection. Apply an antiseptic to any welts.
Chiggers are often too small to be visible in grassland or woodland environments. As a result, preventive measures are typically general ones.
Avoid common chigger habitatsSpring, summer, and fall are prime times for chigger bites. When you're in wooded areas that may be chigger-infested, try not to brush up against vegetation. When hiking, walk in the center of the trails rather than along the sides.
Chiggers live in tall weeds and grass, berry patches, and wooded areas. They may be in your backyard, by the lake, and clustered along your favorite hiking trail. They are most active in spring, summer, and fall afternoons when temperatures are warm.
ClothingWear long sleeves and long pants that can be tucked into your socks or shoes. Use insect or tick repellent, especially around the tops of your shoes, shirt neck, cuffs, and waistband. Shower as soon as you go indoors. Wash your clothes in hot water.
It's important to see a doctor if your chigger bites do not subside in 2 weeks, if inflammation increases, or if you experience any symptoms of scrub typhus, such as:
Chigger bites can cause itchy, inflamed bumps on the skin. These larval mites are common in grassy and woodland environments and are often too small for you to notice them.
Symptoms of chigger bites typically resolve independently. Antihistamines, cold compresses, and anti-itch lotions can help manage symptoms.
If your symptoms do not resolve within 2 weeks, it's recommended that you schedule an appointment with a healthcare professional.
Kissing Bugs: How You Can Get Heart Disease From A Bite
Pictured here is the triatomine bug, otherwise known as the "kissing bug," that can infect you with... [+] the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Which can cause Chagas Disease. (Photo by Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
This is probably not the "Kissing Song" that you learned as a kid:
K-I-S-S-I-N-G (B-U-G)
First comes a bite,then comes parasitic infections,then comes Chagas Diseasewith many possible heart complicationsBut it is a way to remember how dangerous and even deadly the kissing bug and Chagas Disease can be. While kissing may tug at your heart, the kissing bug can really screw up your heart. That's because triatomines, the more scientific and less cuddly name for the blood-sucking kissing bug, can carry the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
Want to know how this %&$% bug can get the parasite into your body? The name kissing bug comes from the bug's tendency to bite you near your mouth or your eyes. (By the way, don't kiss people on the eyes). The bug can bite you, suck your blood, and then poop into or close to the wound. That's right. This bug poops on your face. And that poop may carry the T. Cruzi parasite. Call me old fashioned, but any "kiss" that ends up with being pooped on the face is not good.
But the bad story doesn't end there. If the poop is smeared into your wound, your eyes, or your mouth, the parasite can make its way into your body and burrow into your cells. There the parasites grow and multiply. New parasites are then released into your bloodstream to travel to different parts of your body to wreak more havoc. You may have a fever or some swelling around the wound early on in T. Cuzi infection, otherwise known as Chagas Disease. But after that you may not have any symptoms for a long, long time. In fact, it can be over a decade before you notice any problems.
Under a magnification of 1000X, this is a micrograph revealing Trypanosoma cruzi parasites in a... [+] blood smear using Giemsa staining technique. Image courtesy CDC/Dr. Mae Melvin. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images).
Somewhere between 20% to 30% of infected people end up developing major and even life-threatening medical problems from the disease. The disease can damage your heart tissue, which can lead to abnormal heart rhythms that could cause sudden death or a weak, floppy heart that can't adequately pump blood (i.E., heart failure). The disease may also damage your esophagus or intestines, so that they become enlarged and floppy. This makes it difficult to eat or, in the irony of ironies, poop.
Yes, this is in effect an infectious heart disease. You can "catch" heart disease from a bug. You can also catch Chagas Disease from a blood transfusion, when you are given infected blood, or food that the bugs have pooped on, albeit more rarely. The key is recognizing infection early and getting the appropriate anti-parasitic medications (such as benznidazole or nifurtimox) as soon as possible before the parasite can start to cause damage. Once Chagas Disease reaches the chronic stage, such medications will no longer help. So if you suspect that a "kissing bug" bit you on the face and pooped on you, see your doctor.
You may not realize how devastating Chagas Disease can be and what a drain it is on our society. In a study published in 2013 in The Lancet Infectious Disease, our team (Maria Elena Bottazzi, PhD, and Peter J Hotez, MD, PhD from the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor and Kristina M Bacon, MPH, and me from our PHICOR group then at the University of Pittsburgh) developed a computational model to quantify the burden of Chagas Disease. When we ran our analyses, we found that currently infected individuals around the world would end up costing over $24.7 billion in health-care costs and $188·8 billion in total costs over their lifetimes. That comes out to about $7·19 billion per year.
Activists light 100 candles during a demonstration July 9, 2009 at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro,... [+] Brazil, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Chagas disease. The International organization Medecins Sans Frontieres and Brazil's 'Iniciativa Medicamentos Para Doencas Negligenciadas' and Fiocruz are trying to raise the people's consciousness about the danger of the disease also in cities as New York, Barcelona and Geneve. (Photo: VANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)
While the kissing bug and Chagas Disease have long plagued many parts of Latin and South America, both are becoming more and more common in the United States. According to a recently released scientific statement from the American Heart Association, Chagas Disease now affects at least 300,000 people in the U.S., a number that continues to grow. A frightening map from Texas A&M University shows that the "kissing bug" has established itself in 28 states already.
The trouble is not enough people have even heard about the kissing bug and Chagas Disease. Not enough is being done to control the spread of the bug. Not enough efforts are being made to track or detect the disease. Not enough resources are being committed to developing new vaccines and treatments for the disease, even though our studies have shown that both a preventive vaccine (an economic modeling study published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases) and a therapeutic vaccine (an economic modeling study in Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics) could save money. The trouble is, if you get infected by T. Cruzi and are among the 20% to 30% to develop major medical problems, the kissing bug could be on your list of the worst things in life.
Types Of Fly Bites, Symptoms, And Treatment
Most fly bites aren't serious, causing pain or itching that you can resolve with medications or natural treatments. But some flies can spread illnesses that require a doctor's attention.
Flies are an annoying yet inevitable part of life. One pesky fly buzzing around your head can throw off an otherwise lovely summer day. Most people have been bitten by a fly at least once in their lifetime. In most cases, it's nothing more than irritating.
According to the University of California Museum of Paleontology, there are about 120,000 species of fly throughout the world, and many of them bite animals and people for their blood. Some species carry diseases, which they can transmit to humans thorough bites.
Sand flies are about 1/8 of an inch long, and have hairy, brownish-gray wings. They hold their wings above their bodies in a "V" shape and are most active between dusk and dawn. The larvae look like worms.
They're found mainly in tropical and subtropical climates. They breed in places with a lot of moisture, such as decaying plants, moss, and mud. In the United States they're mostly found in the southern states.
Sand flies eat nectar and sap, but females also feed on the blood of animals and humans.
SymptomsIn general, sand fly bites are painful and may cause red bumps and blisters. These bumps and blisters can become infected or cause skin inflammation, or dermatitis.
Sand flies transmit diseases to animals and humans, including a parasitic disease called leishmaniasis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), leishmaniasis is rare in the United States. You may contract it during travel to a foreign country. There are no vaccinations to prevent leishmaniasis. Symptoms include skin sores weeks or months after the bite. They often clear up without treatment, but can be serious in some cases.
TreatmentYou can apply hydrocortisone or calamine lotion directly to the bites to help them heal and reduce itching. Oatmeal baths and aloe vera can also soothe itching. For persistent sores or ulcers, you should see a doctor.
The bloodsucking tsetse fly is about 6 to 15 millimeters long and its mouth points forward. It makes its home in the tropics of Africa, and prefers shady places in wooded areas. It hides in tree trunk holes and between tree roots.
SymptomsThe tsetse fly bite is often painful and can cause red bumps or small red ulcers at the site of the bite. It can also transmit sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) to animals and humans.
Trypanosomiasis is generally not found in the United States except in people who have traveled to Africa. Early symptoms include headache, fever, and muscle aches. Later, you may experience mental confusion or coma. Trypanosomiasis causes swelling in the brain and is fatal, if untreated.
TreatmentIf you've been bitten by a tsetse fly, your doctor can run simple blood tests for sleeping sickness.
Antitrypanosomal medications, such as pentamidine, are highly effective in treating sleeping sickness.
Deer flies are about 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch long, with brownish-black bands on their otherwise transparent wings. They may have gold or green eyes on their small, rounded heads.
They are most active during spring and like to be near lakes, swamps, or other bodies of water. The larvae resemble maggots.
SymptomsDeer fly bites are painful, and will cause red bumps or welts. They transmit a rare bacterial disease known as rabbit fever (tularemia). Symptoms include skin ulcers, fever, and headache. Tularemia can be successfully treated with antibiotics, but without treatment, it can be fatal.
TreatmentTo treat deer fly bites, clean the affected area with soap and water. You can apply ice to the area to treat pain. You can also take allergy medicine like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) to reduce itching, which can prevent secondary infection.
Black flies are small, ranging from 5 to 15 millimeters as adults. They have an arched thoracic region, short antennae, and wings that are large and fan-shaped. They are often found near bodies of water where their larvae grow.
Black flies can be found throughout most of the United States, but their bites do not appear to transmit diseases here. In other regions of the world, including Africa and South America, their bites can transmit a disease called "river blindness."
SymptomsBlack flies typically bite near the head or face. Their bites leave a small puncture wound, and can result in anything from slight swelling to a swollen bump the size of a golf ball. Other symptoms can include headache, nausea, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. When these symptoms occur, they're referred to as "black fly fever."
TreatmentApply ice to the area for fifteen minute intervals to reduce swelling from a black fly bite. You can apply cortisone or prescription topical steroids to the affected area. Washing the area with soap and water can reduce the risk of infection.
Biting midges are extremely small at only 1 to 3 millimeters in length. The adults can be reddish after they've eaten, or gray when they haven't. The larvae, which are white, can only be seen with a microscope.
SymptomsBites from biting midges resemble small red welts. They can be found all over North America. The bites are persistently itchy, and many people with bites feel like something is biting them but they can't see what.
In other parts of the world, biting midges can transmit filarial worms to humans, which live inside the skin. This can result in dermatitis and skin lesions.
TreatmentAvoid scratching the bites of biting midges. Treatment with cortisone or prescription topical steroids can help. For natural remedies, you can apply aloe vera topically.
Stable flies strongly resemble the standard house fly, but are slightly smaller in size at 5 to 7 millimeters. They have seven circular black spots in a checkerboard pattern on their abdomen.
Stable flies can be found all over the world, and are particularly prevalent around livestock. In the United States in areas like New Jersey, Lake Michigan shorelines, the Tennessee Valley, and the Florida panhandle, the flies are most likely to bite humans.
SymptomsStable fly bites often feel like sharp needle pricks, and occur most often on the feet, ankles, behind the knees, and legs. Red rashes and small, raised red bumps are common at the bite mark.
TreatmentYou can take medications like Benadryl to reduce itching and swelling and apply ice to the bite mark to reduce pain. Benadryl can also reduce hives caused from the bite.
Preventing fly bites is much easier and less painful than having to treat them. You can't avoid flies entirely, but you can make your yard less inviting by keeping grass and plants well-trimmed.
Talk to your doctor if you plan on visiting a foreign country. You may need vaccines or medication prior to your trip. Also see your doctor if you experience fever, swelling, or increasing pain following an insect bite.
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