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Do Cockroaches Bite

Recently cockroach bites have been a focus of much concern on misinterpretation of post mortem injuries. Three cases of unexpected infant death wherein the children suffered post mortem cockroach bites initially raised concern of non-accidental injury. In one of the cases, the handlers at the death scene did not identify the bite wounds. In the other case, the bites were not recognized as cockroach bites but were identified as neck injuries from a possible strangulation.

These cases have proven that cockroach bites are difficult to identify even by experienced forensic pathologists. Even more difficult is to differentiate the post mortem bites from the ante mortem ones. Forensic pathologists are now looking more thoroughly on possible cockroach bites in order to identify it from the real injuries which may be related to the death of the individual, especially the babies.

Cockroaches are omnivores that eat plants and meat. They have been recorded to eat human flesh of both the living and the dead although they are more likely to take a bite of fingernails, eyelashes (especially from a sleeping child), feet and hands. There have been many reports of a cockroach biting a human. Such cases, although numerous, are not serious. The bites usually cause irritation, lesions and swelling. Some suffered from minor wound infections. The most serious cases have been on ships. It has been documented that some cockroaches on seafaring vessels have become so numerous that they gnawed the skin and nails of those onboard. Some sailors even reported wearing gloves so that the cockroaches would not be able to bite their fingers.

Among the many cockroach species, it is the Periplaneta American and the Periplaneta australasiae, which are the most common to bite humans. As well, because of the population explosion of the German cockroach across the globe, there has been a major increase in the reports of biting humans.

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