Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:13:50 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:42:23 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Mack A. Damia wrote:
On Tue, 20 Aug 2013 13:21:58 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

wrote:
On Tuesday, January 20, 2004 3:06:23 AM UTC+5:30, Marek Williams
wrote:
When I was a kid we had a dog. This was a very long time ago,
long before flea medications. The dog had a flea collar, but
still had fleas, and there were fleas in the house.

I recall my mother and my brother constantly complaining about
flea bites. I remember them showing me their ankles with red
spots all over. In the meantime, my father and I never had a
single flea bite. Since leaving home I have always had cats,
and they would sometimes have fleas, in spite of flea collars.
Nevertheless, in all my life I can't remember ever having a
flea bite myself.

This has always made me curious. I have a couple questions that
someone might be able to shed some light on.

1) Is it possible for humans (or animals, for that matter) to
possess a natural flea repellent? Like maybe fleas take one
whiff of me and go "phew, stay away from that guy, he really
stinks!"

2) Or maybe I'm atually being bitten, but don't display any
reaction. What I'm getting at is what is it about flea bites
that makes them itch? For example, my understanding of
mosquito bites is that the mosquito injects a blood thinner
agent to help it suck up the blood; and humans have an
allergic reaction to the agent which causes the itching and
swelling. What exactly is it about flea bites that make them
itch? Is it possible for humans to be immune to this?

My cat gets Revolution and seems to have no flea problem, so
it's just my own curiosity here. Does anyone know of any
scientific information about flea bites?

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so
reply here.

http://fleabitesonhuman.com/

A better question is what makes anything itch? Oh sure, they say,
"allergic reaction" and all that stuff, but what really causes
the itch, and why? Many years ago, I picked up an eye infection
at my local community swimming pool. I went to an eye doctor and
said, "I think I have a fungus infection or something on my
eyelid that ic making it itch. He got angry with me and said.
"Why do you think its a fungus infection? - Its a bacterial
infection!" I didn't say anything to him then, but today I would
say, "Why does it itch? I know he wouldn't have been able to
give me a straight answer. Not then, and not now. Like many
doctors, he thought he knew everything.

It's the sensors in your tissue. Same with any cut or wound. It
hurts, but in the case of a bacterial or fungal infection, you get
itching.

Think about intense itching when you get poison ivy, etc.

But this doesn't explain the exact mechanism that causes an itch. I
get itching in (on) my ankles. It does no good to scratch it,
because allthough the itch goes away while I am scratching, it
comes back almost immediately, and is worse. So, I haqve just
learned to put up with it and pay no attention to it. What is the
exact cause of this? I have no infection or rash there. And when I
get an itch any other place, scratching it makes it go away for a
long time. What is there about my ankles that makes them itch for
no reason, and not be relieved by scratching? And I am not the
only one with this problem. I have a friend about my age who has
the exact same problem.

I can't explain the exact mechanism that makes it itch. Skin and
tissue age and get dry as we age. Dry skin itches. Same as leather
when it gets old and dry - it cracks.

The interesting thing to me is that there are different kinds of
itches. My psoriasis itches, but the itch goes away when I scratcvh
it. and sometimes for quite a long time. But I don't have any
psoriasis on my ankles, and yet they itch and scratching doesn't
help. It only makes it worse.
What is the difference between these two itches on the cellular
level?

There has to be a cause for the itch - some kind of irritation of the
cells. I guess it depends upon the intensity and type of irritation.
As you know, some itches can last a long time while others go away
with a slight scratch.

In response to your original question: Yes. Some people are not bothered by
insects at all, and go through li8fe without feeling or even knowing if they
have flea and/or mosquito bites or are hardley bothered at all by hornets
and other biting insects. My father was one of these, and I too asm
relatively immune to insect bites. My dad would trap a bee in his cupped
hands and feel it crawling around inside trying to find a way out. Then he
would open his hands and let it fly away. He said no bee ad ever stng him
when he did this. Other people, however are bitten by anything that flies
and get large swollen spots all the time, especially in the Summertime, when
the insects are not in hybernation. Our cats have fleas, and we are always
trying to get rid of them, but as far as I know, I have neer been bitten by
one.