[paul.fr]

just thinking about bed bugs (eek, shiver), i wonder if any bugs are living on my skin right now? what are they up to, why are they there?

[Karen W.]

We all have things living off us all the time.. I understand a scraping of the kin hold tons of things!

I don't know their names or anything but we are host to many as I understand it!

[DoctorBeaver]

I don't know their names or anything...

So I don't suppose you've got their phone numbers?  []

[paul.fr]

I understand a scraping of the kin hold tons of things!

Well i dont think you should go scraping at their brothers and sisters. Ok then, we have them but why? what are they up to?

[Karen W.]

I don't know their names or anything...

So I don't suppose you've got their phone numbers?  []

Nope But they've got Yours! LOL!

[Karen W.]

Thats a good Question Paul and I would like to think that some of them are beneficial sense for the most part we seem to have a symbiotic relationship! As far as I can Tell anyway! LOL I have to do some studying!

[another_someone]

You mentioned bed bugs, although the term bug there specifically refers to an insect rather than the wider range of small animals and micro-organisms.

With regard to bacteria, certainly some are useful in our digestion to help digest some foods that we could not directly digest ourselves.

I am not aware (although others might know otherwise) if there exists any insects or other macroscopic parasites that have such an intimate symbiotic relationship with man (clearly, we have a looser symbiotic relationship with many insects, but they do not typically feed off us).

[Bored chemist]

Strictly not an insect but does an arthropod count as a bug?
Here's an article for those not too easilly grossed out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demodex

[Karen W.]

You mentioned bed bugs, although the term bug there specifically refers to an insect rather than the wider range of small animals and micro-organisms.

With regard to bacteria, certainly some are useful in our digestion to help digest some foods that we could not directly digest ourselves.

I am not aware (although others might know otherwise) if there exists any insects or other macroscopic parasites that have such an intimate symbiotic relationship with man (clearly, we have a looser symbiotic relationship with many insects, but they do not typically feed off us).

I agree with the bacteria but really don't recall much about the other critters that reside on us! LOL

[JimBob]

I think there are little critters that live in the pores of your skin, rotifers in your eyes (Not sure on the last.)

[Karen W.]

Yes I think you are right. I watched a show about them one time!

[RD]

I think there are little critters that live in the pores of your skin, rotifers in your eyes (Not sure on the last.)

http://www.visions-of-science.co.uk/win-07.html

[Karen W.]

WOW RD! That is a really cool picture.. Amazing! Hard to believe they are there eh? Amazing... Do we benefit by them eating the dead skin cells from around the eyelash follicle?

[another_someone]

I think there are little critters that live in the pores of your skin, rotifers in your eyes (Not sure on the last.)

Yes, but I referred to symbiotic organisms, not parasitic ones.

I was aware of many that we believe are parasitic, but I am not aware of any other than bacteria that are known to be symbiotic (although I fully accept that many may be found to have a symbiotic relationship we do not yet understand).

[Karen W.]

I think there are little critters that live in the pores of your skin, rotifers in your eyes (Not sure on the last.)

http://www.visions-of-science.co.uk/win-07.html

I am confused if he is eating dead skin cells from around our eyelashes does'nt that make them more scavengers or do they also feed off any live cells in our body! How would that classify them then?

[kdlynn]

i tried so hard not to read this... and for some reason i thought i could without getting all freaked out... but i was wrong

[another_someone]

I am confused if he is eating dead skin cells from around our eyelashes does'nt that make them more scavengers or do they also feed off any live cells in our body! How would that classify them then?

All the top surface of your skin is technically dead (only the deeper layers are actually alive), and so is your hair dead (only the roots are living tissue).

[another_someone]

i tried so hard not to read this... and for some reason i thought i could without getting all freaked out... but i was wrong

Oh dear, you will have to develop a thicker skin []

[kdlynn]

apparently if things are eating it!! lol

[smartbutdumb]

there are millions of bacteria living on & within our bodies. This is referred to as symbiosis- "living together"
 This is an inter-relationship between organisms where there is a close and permanent asociation for mutual benefit.