Fictions or fact? Are cute ladybirds carriers of sexually transmitted diseases to us humans?

Can ladybugs infect us with sexually transmitted diseases??

In Great Britain, a species of ladybug native to Asia is currently spreading. According to experts, the so-called harlequin ladybug could pose a threat to native species. Media reports also raised the question of whether the insect could potentially infect people with a sexually transmitted disease.

Little knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases

Studies have shown that more and more people in Germany suffer from dangerous sexually transmitted diseases. According to experts, this could also be due to the lack of knowledge about the possible routes of infection of the sexual diseases. For example, some people worry that venereal diseases can be transmitted via toilet goggles. And in England it is now taken care that ladybirds could possibly be carriers of such diseases.

For several years, the Asian ladybug has spread in Europe. In the UK, it is now being taken care of that the insect, also called harlequin ladybug, can transmit sexually transmitted diseases to humans. (Image: Jademacro / fotolia.com)

Harlequin ladybugs are spreading

According to a report in the British newspaper "Mirror" Britain is currently plagued by a veritable ladybug invasion.

"The beetles, which fly in with mild autumn winds from Asia and North America, have black rather than red wings and first arrived in the summer of 2004 in the UK," writes the paper.

According to the information, the insects are harlequin ladybirds, which also invade the houses in search of winter quarters.

The foreign invaders, according to experts, pose a threat to native species, "because they carry a sexually transmitted disease called Laboulbenial's fungal disease," writes the "Mirror"..

Since the beetles can bite people, it is feared that it could also lead to a transmission of the disease.

Also widespread in Germany

The Harlequin ladybird, also known as Asian or polychrome ladybug (scientifically Harmonia axyridis), "is now not only in Japan and China, but also in North America and Europe," reports the Conservation Union Germany (NABU) on its website.

The beetle has been widely used for biological pest control since the 1980s because of its large aphid appetite.

"In 1988, the first animals appeared outdoors in the USA, and in Europe at the turn of the millennium, especially in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany," writes NABU.

In the meantime, an almost nationwide distribution is evident in this country.

According to the experts, the beetle is unstoppable. But: "Whether the Asian harlequin will seriously harm his European relatives remains to be seen."

No danger to humans

And what about the danger to humans??

As reported by the portal "News Archives UK", a doctor for sexual health told the media company "LADbible":

"Several newspaper reports this week have highlighted the plight of harlequin ladybugs struggling with a form of fungal infection known as Laboulbeniales disease."

And: "Some patients were worried about the transfer to themselves," said the doctor.

But the disease, which is spread through close contact during the mating of the beetles, "can not be passed on to people," writes the newspaper "Birmingham Mail". (Ad)