Molecular analysis of the blood meals and bacterial communities of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) to assess interactions with alternative hosts
Autor: | Richard Cooper, Etienne Z. Gnimpieba, Rashaun Potts, Vincent Peta, Diing D.M. Agany, Changlu Wang, Jose E. Pietri |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
Male
Bedbugs Range (biology) 030231 tropical medicine Zoology Human pathogen House mouse Host Specificity Article 030308 mycology & parasitology 03 medical and health sciences Mice 0302 clinical medicine Bed bug RNA Ribosomal 16S parasitic diseases Animals Humans 0303 health sciences General Veterinary biology Bacteria Host (biology) fungi General Medicine DNA Blood meal biology.organism_classification RNA Bacterial Infectious Diseases Blood Insect Science Cats Parasitology Female House mice Cimex lectularius |
Zdroj: | Parasitol Res |
ISSN: | 1432-1955 |
Popis: | Common bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) are hematophagous pests present in urban environments across the globe. It is widely established that they have a strong host preference for humans. However, there are records of C. lectularius feeding upon a range of mammalian and avian hosts, including rodents, in the field. There is little information available about how frequently common bed bugs feed on alternative hosts in residential settings, but understanding this phenomenon has implications for both management of infestations and public health. Here, we examined cohorts of C. lectularius collected from 13 different dwellings in the state of New Jersey, USA, that were known to be simultaneously infested with house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Host-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine if blood meals were taken from mice, while 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to screen the bed bugs for the presence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens. We found no evidence that any of the bed bugs we collected fed on mice. Furthermore, the insects harbored depauperate bacterial communities that did not include known human pathogens. However, host-specific qPCR detected feline DNA in a pool of bed bugs from one dwelling, suggesting that interaction with domestic pets should be further investigated. Although sampling in this study was limited, the approach described herein will be useful for additional studies of the interactions between bed bugs and alternative blood meal hosts. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |