Bed Bugs Could Transmit Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found On Skin: Study

A new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases has found evidence that bed bugs may be able to transmit an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria.

A team of researchers from the University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine found that in a lab setting, bed bugs were able to contract and spread MRSA, the bacteria that causes staph infections.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria is usually harmless, but in some cases, it can cause serious infections that can lead to sepsis or death.

The team conducted three trials in which they mimicked how a bed bug would feed using blood laced with MRSA. They found that the bed bugs could become infected with MSRA and then spread it to other hosts.

"MRSA was found to persist for seven days both externally and internally in some bed bugs. Further, MRSA replicated internally but not externally. Most importantly, bed bugs were able to transmit MRSA to an uncontaminated membrane feeder in two out of three trials," the researchers said.

Dr. Jose E. Pietri, assistant professor of microbiology at the Sanford School of Medicine, told Fox News that the study does "not prove that bedbugs are relevant vectors of MRSA in nature."

"Ultimately, additional clinical and epidemiological investigations aimed specifically at examining the relationship between bed bugs and MRSA infections are needed," Pietri added.