ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2015
Competence of Cimex lectularius Bed Bugs for the Transmission of Bartonella quintana, the Agent of Trench Fever.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 47 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 106 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bartonella quintana detection among arthropods and their hosts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Parasites & vectors · 2024Pooled it
- Bed bugs and possible transmission of human pathogens: a systematic review.Archives of dermatological research · 2016Pooled it
- Between insects and birds: molecular evidence of Bartonella henselae DNA in Rhodnius prolixus (Stål, 1859) from an insectary and Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758) ducks used as triatomine blood meal source.Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo · 2026Article
- Efficiency of MALDI-TOF MS at identifying and discriminating immature stages of cimex lectularius and cimex hemipterus bed bugs.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Do bed bugs transmit human viruses, or do humans spread bed bugs and their viruses? A worldwide survey of the bed bug RNA virosphere.Virus research · 2024Article
- Bed Bugs (Hemiptera, Cimicidae): A Global Challenge for Public Health and Control Management.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Cimicids of Medical and Veterinary Importance.Insects · 2023Review
- Histamine Excretion by the Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae).Journal of medical entomology · 2022Article
- Examination of vertical transmission of Bartonella quintana in body lice following multiple infectious blood meals.Pathogens and disease · 2022Article
- Identification of Knockdown Resistance Mutations in the Cimex hemipterus (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) in Iran.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2022Article
- A Comparative Study of Body Lice and Bed Bugs Reveals Factors Potentially Involved in Differential Vector Competence for the Relapsing Fever Spirochete Borrelia recurrentis.Infection and immunity · 2022Article
- Spatiotemporal trends in bed bug metrics: New York City.PloS one · 2022Article
- Investigating the association of bed bugs with infectious diseases: A retrospective case-control study.Heliyon · 2021Article
- Seroprevalence ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Investigations on Vector-Borne and Aerosol Transmission Potential of Kaeng Khoi Virus in Cave-Dwelling Wrinkle-Lipped Free-Tailed Bats (Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Article
- Molecular analysis of the blood meals and bacterial communities of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) to assess interactions with alternative hosts.Parasitology research · 2021Article
- Bats are key hosts in the radiation of mammal-associated Bartonella bacteria.Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Widespread Mutations in Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBartonella quintana, the etiologic agent of trench fever and other human diseases, is transmitted by the feces of body lice. Recently, this bacterium has been detected in other arthropod families such as bed bugs, which begs the question of their involvement in B. quintana transmission. Although several infectious pathogens have been reported and are suggested to be transmitted by bed bugs, the evidence regarding their competence as vectors is unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL
findingsBed bugs at the adult and instar developmental stages were fed three successive human blood meals inoculated with B. quintana bacterium from day one (D1) to D5; subsequently they were fed with pathogen-free human blood until the end of the experiment. Bed bugs and feces were collected in time series, to evaluate their capacities to acquire, multiply and expel viable B. quintana using molecular biology, immunohistochemistry and cultures assays. B. quintana was detected molecularly in 100% of randomly selected experimentally infected bed bug specimens (D3). The monitoring of B. quintana in bed bug feces showed that the bacterium was detectable starting on the 3rd day post-infection (pi) and persisted until day 18±1 pi. Although immunohistochemistry assays localized the bacteria to the gastrointestinal bed bug gut, the detection of B. quintana in the first and second instar larva stages suggested a vertical non-transovarial transmission of the bacterium.
conclusionThe present work demonstrated for the first time that bed bugs can acquire, maintain for more than 2 weeks and release viable B. quintana organisms following a stercorarial shedding. We also observed the vertical transmission of the bacterium to their progeny. Although the biological role of bed bugs in the transmission of B. quintana under natural conditions has yet to be confirmed, the present work highlights the need to reconsider monitoring of these arthropods for the transmission of human pathogens.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.