Hematophagous Ectoparasites of Cliff Swallows Invade a Hospital and Feed on Humans

Beatty, Norman; Klotz, Stephen A.; Elliott, Sean P.

doi:10.1093/cid/cix697

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Hansel et al [ 22 ] reported a similar case of human infestation by martin bugs ( C. hirundinis ) in Italy. Moreover, other human infestation cases with swallow bugs have been reported in the US and Japan [ 21 , 47 ]. To date, in France, in addition to C. hirundinis we have found two species ( C. hemipterus and C. lectularius ) that bite and feed on human blood [ 5 , 48 , 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification of swallow bugs Cimex hirundinis (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) and endosymbionts in France

et al. 2021

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Background The Cimicidae are obligatory blood-feeding ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance. We aim in the current study to assess the ability of MALDI-TOF MS to identify Cimex hirundinis swallow bugs collected in house martin nests. Methods Swallow bugs were picked out from abandoned nests of house martin swallows and identified morphologically to the species level. The bugs were randomly selected, dissected and then subjected to MALDI-TOF MS and molecular analyses. Results A total of 65 adults and 50 nymphs were used in the attempt to determine whether this tool could identify the bug species and discriminate their developmental stages. Five adults and four nymphs of C. hirundinis specimens were molecularly identified to update our MS homemade arthropod database. BLAST analysis of COI gene sequences from these C. hirundinis revealed 98.66–99.12% identity with the corresponding sequences of C. hirundinis of the GenBank. The blind test against the database supplemented with MS reference spectra showed 100% (57/57) C. hirundinis adults and 100% (46/46) C. hirundinis nymphs were reliably identified and in agreement with morphological identification with logarithmic score values between 1.922 and 2.665. Ninety-nine percent of C. hirundinis specimens tested were positive for Wolbachia spp. The sequencing results revealed that they were identical to Wolbachia massiliensis, belonging to the new T-supergroup strain and previously isolated from C. hemipterus. Conclusions We report for the first time to our knowledge a case of human infestation by swallow bugs (C. hirundinis) in France. We also show the usefulness of MALDI-TOF MS in the rapid identification of C. hirundinis specimens and nymphs with minimal sample requirements. We phylogenetically characterized the novel Wolbachia strain (W. massiliensis) infecting C. hirundinis and compared it to other recognized Wolbachia clades. Graphical Abstract

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Under certain conditions, C. hirundinis are able to feed on human blood, and their bite is known to be more painful than that of bedbugs [ 6 , 7 , 21 , 22 ]. However, except for experienced entomologists, it is challenging to make a morphological distinction between Cimex spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification of swallow bugs Cimex hirundinis (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) and endosymbionts in France

et al. 2021

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“…Human infestations with C. hirundinis have also been reported in France and Japan [31,131]. Moreover, the co-occurrence of a hospital infestation with two hematophagous arthropods, Cimex vicarius and Argas cooleyi has been reported in Tucson, Arizona, USA [136]. Cimex vicarius and C. hirundinis are also pests of considerable importance to swallows because they cause nestling mortality due to severe blood loss when infestations are heavy [1].…”

Section: Medical and Veterinary Impact Of Swallow Bugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This species has never before been stated to be a vector of human pathogens. The swallow bug species may serve as an alternative host when their preferred host is absent [136]. A case of occupational human infestation with C. hirundinis in Italy showed that two farm workers sustained papules covered with haemorrhagic crusts on their abdomens and trunks [130].…”

Section: Medical and Veterinary Impact Of Swallow Bugsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cimicids of Medical and Veterinary Importance

Hamlili

Bérenger

Parola

2023

Insects

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Members of the Cimicidae family are significant pests for mammals and birds, and they have attracted medical and veterinary interest. A number of recent studies have investigated bed bugs, due to their dramatic resurgence all over the world. Indeed, bed bugs are of significant public health and socioeconomic importance since they lead to financial burdens and dermatological complications and may have mental and psychological consequences. It is important to note that certain cimicids with a preference for specific hosts (birds and bats) use humans as an alternative host, and some cimicids have been reported to willingly feed on human blood. In addition, members of the Cimicidae family can lead to economic burdens and certain species are the vectors for pathogens responsible for diseases. Therefore, in this review, we aim to provide an update on the species within the Cimicidae family that have varying medical and veterinary impacts, including their distribution and their associated microorganisms. Various microbes have been documented in bed bugs and certain important pathogens have been experimentally documented to be passively transmitted by bed bugs, although no conclusive evidence has yet associated them with epidemiological outbreaks. Additionally, among the studied cimicids (bat bugs, chicken bugs, and swallow bugs), only the American swallow bug has been considered to be a vector of several arboviruses, although there is no proven evidence of transmission to humans or animals. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reason that certain species in the Cimicidae family cannot be biologically involved in transmission to humans or animals. Additional investigations are also required to better understand the roles of Cimicidae family members in the transmission of human pathogens in the field.

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“…Similarly, two bat bugs, Cimex insuetus (Ueshima) and Stricticimex parvus (Ueshima), were suspected of carrying and transmitting zoonotic virus to humans [6]. Additionally, the swallow bug, Oeciacus vicarius (Horváth), was reported to invade human interfaces and bite people [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Two Different Morphological Methods to Study the Pronotum of Cimicidae: Bed Bugs, Bat Bugs, and Swallow Bugs

Rajonhson

Raksakoon

Payakkapol

et al. 2022

Insects

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An infestation of a Cimicidae (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) member, especially the bed bug, can cause economic loss and impact health. A cost-effective and user-friendly method for identifying the infesting species will help with the early detection and control of infestations. A linear morphometric method is often used, but it requires the examination of many characters and a highly preserved specimen. We conducted a comparative morphometric study of the effectiveness of Cimicidae classification using a single organ, the pronotum, through outline-based and linear morphometric methods. Bat (Stricticimex parvus), human (Cimex hemipterus), and bird (Paracimex sp.) ectoparasites were subject of the study. With both methods, the properties of size and shape were compared and used separately to classify the specimens. Classification analyses of the two methods provided similar results, but more informative variables of size and shape were obtained with the outline-based approach. Size, as analyzed with the outline-based method, could detect sexual dimorphism, and produced better reclassification. The shape variables obtained from the linear measurements were strongly influenced by size variation, much more than the ones obtained from coordinates describing the pronotum contours. Our data suggest that the outline-based approach provides better characterization variables, thus we recommend them for a wider use in other Cimicidae family members.

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Hematophagous Ectoparasites of Cliff Swallows Invade a Hospital and Feed on Humans

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification of swallow bugs Cimex hirundinis (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) and endosymbionts in France

Molecular and MALDI-TOF MS identification of swallow bugs Cimex hirundinis (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) and endosymbionts in France

Cimicids of Medical and Veterinary Importance

Comparison of Two Different Morphological Methods to Study the Pronotum of Cimicidae: Bed Bugs, Bat Bugs, and Swallow Bugs

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