Bed bugs shape the indoor microbial community composition of infested homes

Kakumanu, Madhavi L.; DeVries, Zachary C.; Barbarin, Alexis M.; Santangelo, Richard G.; Schal, Coby

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140704

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Therefore, shedding of the bacteria by bed bugs via defecation or crushing coupled with their normal dispersal behaviour could potentially act as a mechanism of non‐specific dissemination that results in the spread of limited amounts of B. multivorans from one location to another within a structure, potentially contaminating new surfaces and objects. In fact, recent work has demonstrated that the microbiome of bed bugs influences the composition of bacteria present in dust in infested human homes (Kakumanu et al ., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental infection of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) with Burkholderia multivorans

Peta

Pietri

2021

Medical Vet Entomology

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The bacterium Burkholderia multivorans is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen of humans. A previous study reported molecular detection of this bacterium in several specimens of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) collected from an elderly care facility in the U.S.A., raising questions about the possibility of vector‐borne transmission. However, the ability of B. multivorans to colonize bed bugs and the ability of bed bugs to transmit the bacteria both remained untested. To resolve this knowledge gap, here we performed a set of experiments to examine the persistence and shedding of B. multivorans following ingestion by bed bugs in a blood meal. We isolated viable B. multivorans from the bodies of bed bugs for up to 13 days post‐ingestion, but bacterial load substantially diminished over time. By 16 days post‐ingestion, the bacteria could not be isolated. Further, B. multivorans was not shed in the saliva of infected bugs during feeding nor was it transmitted vertically from infected insects to their progeny. Based on these results, significant biological or mechanical transmission of B. multivorans to humans by bed bugs appears unlikely. Nonetheless, some viable bacteria were passively shed into the environment through defecation, a process which could potentially contribute to transmission through indirect contamination under rare circumstances.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental infection of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) with Burkholderia multivorans

Peta

Pietri

2021

Medical Vet Entomology

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“…For example, mosquitoes harboring the Gram-negative bacterium Serratia odorifera in their midgut are more susceptible to infections with the Chikungunya virus that causes Chikungunya fever in vertebrates [93], and mosquitoes harboring the fungus Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei are more susceptible to the Dengue virus that causes Dengue fever in vertebrate hosts [94]. Compared to other indoor pest insects, the microbiome of C. lectularius is unusually sparse [95], and its contribution to host immunity is largely unknown. Proteobacteria, an unclassified γ-proteobacterium, intracellular Wolbachia bacteria, and a Pectobacterium accounted for 98-99% of all bacteria present in the midgut of C. lectularius [96,97].…”

Section: Immunity-related Effect Of Symbionts In C Lectulariusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Innate and Adaptive Immune System of the Common Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius: Current Knowledge and Research Opportunities

Meraj¹,

Gries²

2022

Hemiptera - Recent Updates [Working Title]

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The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), is a blood-feeding ectoparasite of vertebrates, primarily humans. In contrast to many other hematophagous arthropods, such as kissing bugs, mosquitoes, sandflies, and ticks that intermittently seek blood meals from vertebrate hosts, C. lectularius does not vector disease-causing pathogens and parasites to their human hosts. In this review, we summarize currently known immune responses by C. lectularius, and propose worthy research topics. Challenged by microbe ingestion or infection, C. lectularius mounts cellular immune responses such as phagocytosis of bacteria, as well as humoral responses such as secretions of antimicrobial peptides into the hemolymph. The functional immune system of the hemimetabolous C. lectularius resembles that of holometabolous insects but exhibits distinct deviations, including a sparser immune repertoire, the production of DNA nets by cells in response to pathogen invasions, and reproductive immune anticipation in the context of sexual reproduction (traumatic insemination). Many components of the C. lectularius immune system still await discovery, including the receptor molecules and immune pathways involved in antiparasitic and antiviral immune responses. Why C. lectularius does not vector pathogens to human hosts is hardly understood. Potential explanations include upregulated antimicrobial peptide activities that help eliminate invading pathogens.

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“…Since their global resurgence in the early 2000s, bed bugs have become one of the most challenging insects to control indoors. Bed bugs have also been shown to adversely affect human health, causing allergic reactions to their bites 2 , psychological distress associated with both past and present infestations 3 , 4 , and contamination of the indoor environment with histamine and various microbes 5 , 6 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human skin triglycerides prevent bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) arrestment

Gaire

DeVries

Mick

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) have proliferated globally and have become one of the most challenging pests to control indoors. They are nocturnal and use multiple sensory cues to detect and orient towards their human hosts. After feeding, usually on a sleeping human, they return to a shelter on or around the sleeping surface, but not directly on the host. We hypothesized that although human skin odors attract hungry bed bugs, human skin compounds may also prevent arrestment on hosts. We used arrestment assays to test human skin swabs, extracts from human skin swabs, and pure compounds identified from human skin swabs. When given a choice, bed bugs preferred to arrest on substrates not previously conditioned by humans. These responses were consistent among laboratory-reared and apartment-collected bed bugs. The compounds responsible for this behavior were found to be extractable in hexane, and bed bugs responded to such extracts in a dose-dependent manner. Bioassay-guided fractionation paired with thin-layer chromatography, GC–MS, and LC–MS analyses suggested that triglycerides (TAGs), common compounds found on human skin, were preventing arrestment on shelters. Bed bugs universally avoided sheltering in TAG-treated shelters, which was independent of the number of carbons or the number of double bonds in the TAG. These results provide strong evidence that the complex of human skin compounds serve as multifunctional semiochemicals for bed bugs, with some odorants attracting host-seeking stages, and others (TAGs and possibly other compounds) preventing bed bug arrestment. Host chemistry, environmental conditions and the physiological state of bed bugs likely influence the dual nature behavioral responses of bed bugs to human skin compounds.

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Bed bugs shape the indoor microbial community composition of infested homes

Cited by 18 publications

References 68 publications

Experimental infection of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) with Burkholderia multivorans

Experimental infection of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) with Burkholderia multivorans

The Innate and Adaptive Immune System of the Common Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius: Current Knowledge and Research Opportunities

Human skin triglycerides prevent bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) arrestment

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