Bed Bug

City dwellers across the U.S. might agree on one common enemy: bed bugs. But hey, not to worry, right? "Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases, but bites can be very itchy and irritating." Or so says the New York City Department of Health. But that assertion may not be true. Because a new study suggests bed bugs could be capable of spreading infection specifically, by [passing:pressing] on the parasite that causes Chagas disease.Chagas can cause anything from mild headaches to eventual heart failure. The condition is usually spread by what's called the kissing bug - a relative of bedbugs, which also feeds on blood. But it doesn't pass the [parasite:organism] through its saliva, as happens with malaria, for example."You get it when the bug bites you and then [defecates:attacks] on you. The parasite is in the feces of the bug." Michael Levy, a disease ecologist at the [University:School] of Pennsylvania. Levy says scratching the bite then works the parasite into the skin, [infecting:harming] the victim.