Macsierra said:
Thanks Annie. You can ask any medical doctor and he can tell you you can get a meningitis after get bitten by chinches or garrapatas (dunno the English names of the bugs).
Even if the albergue is cleaned, many people gets inside with their boots on and can bring any bug from the Camino.
Hi Macsierra and other forumers, I'm on the forum planning my 2nd Camino walk and came across your post. I want to chime in to clear up a slight misconception and offer some preventative advice. I am a Medical Entomologist and specialize in insects that bite and sting. "Chinches" or "Garrapatas" are known as "bed bugs" in English.
First, I am sorry you went through such a harrowing ordeal. Your experience is exceedingly rare. In fact, no clinical meningitis cases have been definitively associated with bed bugs. All accounts are anecdotal, often with weak or absent supporting evidence. I'm surprised any medical doctor told you that meningitis is associated with bed bug bites.
Bed bugs are well known as
not being biological transmitters of disease -- this means they
do not inject bacteria when they bite. However, they are hypothesized mechanical transmitters of disease -- this means they could possibly pick up bacteria and carry them around long enough to deposit them on human skin. However, this has never been demonstrated clinically.
Once deposited on skin, bacteria (whether from bed bugs or not, maybe just a dirty bed) make their way to the mouth/nose/eyes, most likely when the area where bed bugs bit is scratched followed by touching of the face (e.g., eating).
Because the bacteria are not injected into the bloodstream but instead deposited on skin and then introduced orally there are two primary preventative measures to take after a harrowing night with bed bugs: 1) take a hot shower in the morning (I know, I know...) & 2) sanitize the bite areas, and regularly sanitize hands (e.g., with alcohol-based hand cleanser). I recommend regularly washing and sanitizing hands anyway to minimize other bacterial nasties. (See comment above about the ingenious bra strap sanitizer pump!)
A final note, although bed bugs can be transported from one domicile to another in bags and shoes they are not found in the wild (e.g., on trails). Most bed bug a pilgrim encounters will be residents on or near a bed.
Did the doctors identify the organism causing your meningitis? In your case, a previous human resident of a bed you slept in, a mosquito bite, or some poorly cured meat was probably the true biological vector of your meningitis-causing organism!
