Investigations into the vectorial capacity of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius): feeding and defecation behaviors

The bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) is a significant public health problem, causing economic, physical, and mental distress.  However, this insect’s potential for disease transmission remains poorly understood.  Little research has been done to examine bed bug vectorial capacity, which includes the vector’s interactions with both the pathogen and the vertebrate host.  The bed bug’s ability to mechanically transmit pathogens is of particular concern.  The objective of this laboratory study is to characterize two components of bed bug vectorial capacity, namely feeding and defecation behaviors.  Preliminary data indicate that adult bed bugs defecate within 10-15 seconds after they cease feeding and within 1.8 cm of their attachment site. On average, they defecate twice within the first 10 minutes of feeding cessation.  These data suggest that bed bugs are extremely likely to remain in sufficiently close proximity to the feeding site to defecate at least once on the host.  Chemical and genetic analyses of feces, with particular attention to bacterial components, are in progress to compare laboratory-reared bed bug strains and field-collected strains.