Second-hand mattress ''proves a bug-bear for Milwaukee woman''
19/07/2010
A Milwaukee woman is not likely to be pleased with her recent second-hand mattress purchase from the Salvation Army.
Jodi Hoffman was left covered in bites after spending one night on the new mattress, reports Fox6Now.
She told the broadcaster that she had even taken the bugs out of the bed and into her morning bath.
"I called my friend in and said ''look, I feel like something''s crawling on me''. He didn''t see anything, but then I drained the bathtub and there were bugs crawling all over the bottom of the bathtub," she added.
Research published earlier this year in the Journal of Proteome Research indicates that a protein in bed bug saliva may cause allergic reactions in some people.
Scientists also suggested that enzymes contained in the saliva may have a wider commercial potential for use as a desensitisation vaccine, such as for medical treatments.
Posted by Michael Ewing
