Cimex lectularius ("Bed Bugs"): Recognition, Management, and Eradication.
Reports of bed bug infestations in major cities in the United States and abroad have been in the public press. Physicians and other clinicians who care for children need to be able to recognize bed bug bites and understand the social, psychological, and medical implications that this diagnosis will have on patients and their families. In this article, a case presentation serves to guide discussion regarding establishing the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and the management of bed bug bites and their complications. Integrated pest management programs involving housing managers, residents, and professional pest exterminators provide both chemical and nonchemical solutions for eradication of bed bug infestations.
*Senior Resident (McMenaman), Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance; †Medical Director (Gausche-Hill), Los Angeles County EMS Agency, Santa Fe Springs; ‡Professor of Clinical Medicine and Pediatrics (Gausche-Hill), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles; and §EMS Fellowship Director (Gausche-Hill), Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Torrance, CA.
Kathryn S
KS
McMenaman
Marianne
M
Gausche-Hill
D000818:Animals; D001511:Bedbugs; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019468:Disease Management; D004478:Ectoparasitic Infestations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States