Entomologist and human-sized Hot Shot® Bed Bug Character to travel across country to educate consumers
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With bed bug infestations in the U.S. on the rise, entomologist Timothy J. Gibb, PhD, director of the Insect Diagnostic Lab for the Department of Entomology at Purdue University, says it s important to be wary of bed bugs that could be moving into your home or workplace this summer via suitcases, backpacks, computer cases, clothing and other portable items. During the heavy summer travel months, especially, it s important to understand how to identify and avoid a bed bug infestation, and how to get rid of the pesky creatures when discovered.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel (http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html).
A human-sized Hot Shot® Bed Bug Man character (photos here: http://budurl.com/BedBugMan1, http://budurl.com/BedBugMan2 http://budurl.com/BedBugMan3) and Dr. Timothy Gibb will be traveling to and making public appearances in four of the top infested cities, ranked for bed bugs by treatment data, including New York (May 29-June 2), Washington, D.C (June 5-9), Philadelphia (June 12-16) and Chicago (June 28-July 2). The Hot Shot® character also will be in Los Angeles June 20-24.
The tour comes on the heels of the May 11 publication of an article that will appear in the June 2011 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the CDC, suggesting bedbugs could transmit antibiotic-resistant bacteria during a blood meal (http://www.cdc.gov/media/eid/2011/06.html). Dr. Marc Romney, a medical microbiologist at St. Paul s Health Care in Vancouver, B. C., and Christopher F. Lowe, University of Toronto, report recovery of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) from bedbugs found on hospital patients in Vancouver. According to the report, Bedbugs carrying MRSA and/or VRE may have the potential to act as vectors for transmission. Further studies are needed to characterize the association between S. aureus and bedbugs. Additional information on MRSA can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html.
The two points I urge travelers to keep in mind are awareness and inspection, said Dr. Gibb. Knowing what to look for as soon as you enter a hotel room, how to identify bed bugs and what to do if you find them can help alleviate the issue and help decrease the possible spread from travel this summer.
And Dr. Gibb isn t the only one watching out for bedbugs wanting to step up as travelers. Peter Greenberg, The Contrarian Traveler, reported on April 27, 2011, that passengers on two commercial airlines recently have witnessed excess passengers (bed bugs) on both domestic and international flights: http://www.bnet.com/blog/travel-detective/airplanes-littered-with-rat-droppings-and-bed-bugs/693.
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With bed bug infestations in the U.S. on the rise, entomologist Timothy J. Gibb, PhD, director of the Insect Diagnostic Lab for the Department of Entomology at Purdue University, says it s important to be wary of bed bugs that could be moving into your home or workplace this summer via suitcases, backpacks, computer cases, clothing and other portable items. During the heavy summer travel months, especially, it s important to understand how to identify and avoid a bed bug infestation, and how to get rid of the pesky creatures when discovered.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel (http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html).
A human-sized Hot Shot® Bed Bug Man character (photos here: http://budurl.com/BedBugMan1, http://budurl.com/BedBugMan2 http://budurl.com/BedBugMan3) and Dr. Timothy Gibb will be traveling to and making public appearances in four of the top infested cities, ranked for bed bugs by treatment data, including New York (May 29-June 2), Washington, D.C (June 5-9), Philadelphia (June 12-16) and Chicago (June 28-July 2). The Hot Shot® character also will be in Los Angeles June 20-24.
The tour comes on the heels of the May 11 publication of an article that will appear in the June 2011 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the CDC, suggesting bedbugs could transmit antibiotic-resistant bacteria during a blood meal (http://www.cdc.gov/media/eid/2011/06.html). Dr. Marc Romney, a medical microbiologist at St. Paul s Health Care in Vancouver, B. C., and Christopher F. Lowe, University of Toronto, report recovery of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) from bedbugs found on hospital patients in Vancouver. According to the report, Bedbugs carrying MRSA and/or VRE may have the potential to act as vectors for transmission. Further studies are needed to characterize the association between S. aureus and bedbugs. Additional information on MRSA can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html.
The two points I urge travelers to keep in mind are awareness and inspection, said Dr. Gibb. Knowing what to look for as soon as you enter a hotel room, how to identify bed bugs and what to do if you find them can help alleviate the issue and help decrease the possible spread from travel this summer.
And Dr. Gibb isn t the only one watching out for bedbugs wanting to step up as travelers. Peter Greenberg, The Contrarian Traveler, reported on April 27, 2011, that passengers on two commercial airlines recently have witnessed excess passengers (bed bugs) on both domestic and international flights: http://www.bnet.com/blog/travel-detective/airplanes-littered-with-rat-droppings-and-bed-bugs/693.
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