ArticleParasites & vectors2019
Lack of influence by endosymbiont Wolbachia on virus titer in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius.
Article in Parasites & vectors, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Counting cytoplasmic incompatibility factor mRNA using digital droplet PCR.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Counting rareMicrobiology spectrum · 2025Article
- 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
- Detection, Quantification, and Elimination of Wolbachia in Bed Bugs.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2024Article
- Article
- Characterization of New Defensin Antimicrobial Peptides and Their Expression in Bed Bugs in Response to Bacterial Ingestion and Injection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Effects of Wolbachia elimination and B-vitamin supplementation on bed bug development and reproduction.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Population Dynamics of Wolbachia in the Leafhopper Vector Yamatotettix flavovittatus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae).Journal of insect science (Online) · 2021Article
- Article
- Case not Closed: Arguments for New Studies of the Interactions between Bed Bugs and Human Pathogens.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is an obligatory blood-feeding ectoparasite that requires a blood meal to molt and produce eggs. Their frequent biting to obtain blood meals and intimate association with humans increase the potential for disease transmission. However, despite more than 100 years of inquiry into bed bugs as potential disease vectors, they still have not been conclusively linked to any pathogen or disease. This ecological niche is extraordinarily rare, given that nearly every other blood-feeding arthropod is associated with some type of human or zoonotic disease. Bed bugs rely on the bacteria Wolbachia as an obligate endosymbiont to biosynthesize B vitamins, since they acquire a nutritionally deficient diet, but it is unknown if Wolbachia confers additional benefits to its bed bug host. In some insects, Wolbachia induces resistance to viruses such as Dengue, Chikungunya, West Nile, Drosophila C and Zika, and primes the insect immune system in other blood-feeding insects. Wolbachia might have evolved a similar role in its mutualistic association with the bed bug. In this study, we evaluated the influence of Wolbachia on virus replication within C. lectularius.
methodsWe used feline calicivirus as a model pathogen. We fed 40 bed bugs from an established line of Wolbachia-cured and a line of Wolbachia-positive C. lectularius a virus-laden blood meal, and quantified the amount of virus over five time intervals post-feeding. The antibiotic rifampicin was used to cure bed bugs of Wolbachia.
resultsThere was a significant effect of time post-feeding, as the amount of virus declined by ~90% over 10 days in both groups, but no significant difference in virus titer was observed between the Wolbachia-positive and Wolbachia-cured groups.
conclusionsThese findings suggest that other mechanisms are involved in virus suppression within bed bugs, independent of the influence of Wolbachia, and our conclusions underscore the need for future research.
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