Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Helen Stohlman on 25/05/2008 09:54:19
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Helen Stohlman asked the Naked Scientists:
Is the reaction to flea bites also an allergic response like the itching of mosquito bites? I have also experienced flea bites here and sometimes find a flea in my bed, but the bites just look like you made a dot with a red magic marker on my skin - no itching, swelling, or other uncomfortable reactions whatsoever, and the mark disappears in a few hours.
Fleas, however, will drive you crazy jumping on your legs under the blankets, so that leads me to chase them out of the bed. I know, however, that other people may get awful itchy reactions to flea bites. I'm a wierd specimen - I have a number of allergies, but for example I am not allergic to poison ivy (maybe it has a different name in the UK, it's a three-leaflet wild plant in the US that causes painful blisters in virtually everyone except me when they touch it!).
Thanks as always for a great show.
Helen Stohlman
What do you think?
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Hi, Helen Stohlman
TNS had a similar thread with a question about mosquitoes, a few
weeks ago, it may help. Also if I have ever been unlucky enough
to received any cat flea bites then I got the red lumpy marks and
the fleas seemed attracted to me. (NO more). It itched loads.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=14377.0
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea
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Thanks! That show was actually what inspired my question about flea bites. I can't complain, a red dot for a couple of hours is not a problem. I know many people suffer a lot from them! Here (Guatemala) it's very hard to aviod fleas.