According to research by the World Health Organization, in 18-20% of cases the source of the disease is insects. The first place in the list of infection carriers belongs to flies, and cockroaches are in second place.
Synanthropic Prussians are the most common and most numerous cohabitants of people. Their number and reproduction rate are influenced by social, climatic and sanitary conditions.
The appearance of most adults is characterized by the following features:
- flat, elongated body;
- small head and large jaw apparatus;
- three pairs of legs;
- a pair of eyes;
- color is brown, red or black.
Some species have wings folded on the dorsal part of the body.
The appearance of a red-haired Prussian in an apartment causes unpleasant emotions and significant discomfort associated with contamination of the house and spoilage of food. How else are cockroaches dangerous? It is the causative agent of many dangerous parasitic and infectious diseases and allergic reactions. Under certain circumstances it causes significant property damage. Black house cockroaches are known carriers of staphylococcal pathogens. Other species can become a source of tuberculosis bacillus, which passes unchanged through the digestive tract of the individual and does not lose its pathogenicity.
Why are cockroaches dangerous for humans?
When this type of insect appears in the house, the owner of the home strives to get rid of them as quickly as possible. What is the reason for this reaction? Why are cockroaches dangerous to humans, and why do they need to be dealt with immediately?
To better understand all the risks, it is necessary to understand the mechanism by which arthropods spread pathogenic microorganisms.
A favorable habitat for a cockroach is a constant microclimate of a human home, where there is a lot of water and food: kitchen, bathroom, catering organizations and catering units. In apartment buildings, larvae and adults enter apartments through the sanitary network through small cracks, garbage chutes, basements and attics. It is worth noting that cockroaches are omnivorous creatures that consume not only food, but also glue, paper, cream, and leather products. It only takes a few hours for an arthropod insect to leave sewage on most of the area of the apartment.
A streamlined and compact body shape, endurance, the ability to move impressive distances and penetrate small holes, the ability to go without food for a long time are the main factors that contribute to the reproduction of cockroaches and the transmission of pathogens of dangerous infections.
The main organs on which the cockroach transports pathogenic microorganisms are the digestive system, chitinous cover and bristly legs.
Cockroaches become infected with pathogenic microorganisms in different ways. In the basement, they can come into contact with mice and rats, known spreaders of infections, and in the attic, they can come into contact with birds and their excrement. While moving through sewer pipes and garbage chutes, the insect becomes a target for fungi, helminth larvae and mold spores, which literally stick to the chitinous cover. Pathogens, helminth larvae, mold spores and other pathogenic agents are transmitted from cockroaches to humans through dishes and food, and skin bites.
General harm from Prussians
When settling next to a person, cockroaches cause damage to property, eating everything that comes to hand.
Why are cockroaches harmful if they are found in a house or apartment?
- They spoil the appearance of things - if surfaces and household items become a place of mass accumulation of cockroaches, black dots appear on them. This is Prussian excrement, which is difficult to remove with a regular damp cloth.
- They spoil food - Prussians nibble on food, leaving barely noticeable bite marks and clearly visible excrement on it. If a cockroach has been on a plate of food, it can no longer be eaten: the insect could have acquired an infection on its legs, having previously been in a garbage chute or sewer.
- They leave an unpleasant odor - in rooms where many cockroaches live, a specific odor appears that is not easy to get rid of.
- They clog equipment - insects crawl inside electrical appliances and cause them to break. A cockroach that gets into an outlet can cause a short circuit.
Also read: There is a Prussian in the apartment - what to do?
Cockroaches are omnivores, so they can chew electrical wiring, books and other objects that are inedible from a human point of view.
The harm of cockroaches lies not only in the damage to things and food; the Prussians pose a serious threat to health.
Why are cockroaches dangerous in an apartment?
The world fauna includes more than 3,600 species of cockroaches; 55 species are found in the CIS. But only some of them use household waste and human food for food and are of practical importance. Scientists name about 30 species that interfere with the normal functioning of people. The most common types of cockroaches in Russia are the black and red Prusak.
Cockroach feces contain an aggregation pheromone that attracts other cockroaches. While consuming food, the insect pollutes the substrate with feces, which other arthropods flock to. Such a process negatively affects the sanitary and hygienic situation in the apartment, contributes to the rapid spread of microorganisms and an increase in the population.
How dangerous are cockroaches in an apartment, besides the unfavorable sanitary and hygienic environment? They carry many pathogens of dangerous diseases and serve as a source of asthma and other allergic reactions.
Arthropod insects spoil food, but do not destroy it. In the absence or lack of food, the powerful jaw apparatus of an adult can damage the insulation of electrical cables and the hard surface of other objects.
There are known cases when large concentrations of red Prussians bit people, gnawed off pieces of skin on the legs and arms, in the area of the eyelids, nose and lips. These insects are highly dependent on water. If there is a lack of moisture, they can lick saliva from their lips, simultaneously nibbling the epithelium. Children with delicate skin are at greatest risk. The consequences of contact are discomfort and the risk of contracting dangerous diseases. Medicine knows situations where insects climbed into the nose and ear openings in search of shelter.
In the scientific community, the harmful effects of cockroaches on human health are described by the term “blattoptorez”. It includes the consequences that can occur when a red locust appears in an apartment: bites, mechanical damage to the skin, allergic reactions, infection with worm larvae and the transfer of pathogens of dangerous diseases.
What diseases do cockroaches carry that are dangerous to humans?
When moving through basements, attics, sewer pipes and garbage chutes, dangerous microorganisms enter the digestive system of synanthropic arthropods onto the chitinous cover and bristly legs.
What diseases do cockroaches carry that are dangerous to humans?
- more than 40 types of pathogenic bacteria: hepatitis, typhoid, tuberculosis, intestinal infection, gastroenteritis, meningitis, pneumonia;
- helminth eggs: tapeworm, roundworm, pinworm, whipworm. During the research, pinworm and whipworm eggs were found in the rectum of the black cockroach, and tapeworm eggs were found in the red Prussian;
- intestinal amoebas – causative agents of colitis, dysentery;
- toxoplasma – protozoan organisms that cause toxoplasmosis;
- more than 15 types of fungi;
- polio virus.
The pathogenic agent is transferred by contact and transit.
Numerous spines on the paws of individuals collect the largest accumulation of waste. The thigh is covered with sparse short spines, the tibia is long and dense, and the segments are covered with numerous small processes. The transit route of infection involves the residence and reproduction of pathogenic creatures in the digestive system of cockroaches. This method is most typical for helminth eggs, the shells of which are resistant to enzymes. They undergo full development in the intestines without damage and do not lose their pathogenic properties.
Allergy to cockroaches
Synanthropic arthropods are a source of human allergens. They carry mold spores that cause asthma in adults and children. Particles of chitinous cover during insect molting, decomposed corpses and excrement also become sources of irritation of mucous membranes. They turn into house dust, mixing with mites and other particles. Another allergen is a biological substance with an unpleasant odor that is secreted by the black cockroach. Irritation of the human body occurs when there is a large concentration of individuals.
Allergy symptoms:
- increased tearfulness;
- redness and itching of the skin;
- cough;
- runny nose.
What is the danger of inaction if a person is allergic to cockroaches?
It can become chronic and cause dermatitis, bronchial asthma, rhinitis and conjunctivitis. Even one red-haired Prussian in an apartment is a reason to quickly begin measures to exterminate pests in the apartment. Otherwise, the number of insects will quickly and dramatically increase.
Fighting domestic cockroaches on your own is a complex process with many nuances, which does not always bring the expected effect. The modern market offers more than 100 different chemicals, but arthropod insects have already managed to adapt to many of them. Such stability is preserved in genetic memory and is passed on to the next generation. If the apartment owner decides to get rid of disease carriers without outside help, it is important to strictly follow safety precautions.
An insect poisoned by insecticidal preparations remains dangerous for some time, especially for domestic animals. Modern remedies do not work immediately. They are designed for the individual to transfer the poison to other cockroaches. A cat or dog will be severely poisoned if it decides to eat the pest. During the treatment of the premises, animals should be moved to another apartment. The lack of personal protective equipment often becomes a source of trouble for the person using insecticides.
If you are worried about domestic cockroaches, you are tired of fighting them on your own, contact. Specialists will quickly select the most optimal treatment agent and get rid of the infestation of dangerous insects.
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Health hazards of insects
Several types of cockroaches pose a danger to people: red, American, black. Most often, the red cockroach settles in homes: the insect reaches a length of 1.6 cm, its body is colored brown in different shades.
The danger of cockroaches is that they cause severe allergic reactions. Allergies are caused by chitin particles that remain on furniture and things after insects molt. A strong allergen is Prussian excrement; Mixing with dust, they circulate in the air and enter the human respiratory tract.
Symptoms of an allergy to cockroaches and their waste products:
- runny nose;
- constant swelling of the nasal mucosa;
- lacrimation;
- redness of the eyes;
- cough;
- skin rashes;
- itching in the eyes, all over the body.
Also read: What cockroaches cannot tolerate in an apartment?
Cockroach allergens are especially dangerous for children, as they can cause bronchial asthma.
A person in whose apartment cockroaches live is exposed to another danger: small insects can crawl into the nose or ear canals. This happens exclusively at night during sleep, so the person cannot resist. Subsequently, the cockroach gets stuck in a narrow hole, at the moment when it moves its legs and antennae, the person experiences pain. Only a doctor can help here.
Not only cockroaches are carriers of diseases, lice are no less dangerous pests. Read about what diseases lice can transmit
Cockroaches move freely between rooms, their movement speed reaches several kilometers per hour. Red cockroaches run at a speed of about one meter per second, so in one day they can be in the sewer and on the kitchen table. This becomes the main danger, since insects are capable of spreading various diseases.
