DESENSITIZATION TO INSECT BITES

Abstract

The return of servicemen from the far flung battlefronts of this global war has served to emphasize the problem of insect borne diseases. To date, most of the efforts of the sanitarian have been concentrated against the animal reservoirs of these diseases, and against the insect vectors of these diseases. Little has been reported on the immunity or resistance of the individual human host against the bites of insects.Many laymen make the chance observation that at the beginning of the mosquito season they are bothered by mosquito bites. They then note that this becomes less troublesome as the season wears on. The same is true for flea bites.The region surrounding the San Francisco Bay abounds in fleas. It is not surprising, therefore, to find references to experimental studies on the subject of immunity to flea bites emanating from this area. In 1939 Cherney, Wheeler and Reed1 concluded