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Why the bed bugs bite
Embargo
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London: Tuesday 02 February 2016 16:00 (GMT)
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Sydney: Wednesday 03 February 2016 03:00 (AEDT)
The genome sequence of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is described in two separate papers
published in Nature Communications this week. Together, the studies provide insights into the
genetic basis of how this parasite has adapted to feeding on blood and highlight genes that may
be associated with insecticide resistance.
The bed bug is a parasite that feeds on blood and has been associated with humans for
thousands of years. Global infestations of bed bugs have been associated with the rise of heated
homes and international travel, and this problem has been exacerbated by the evolution of
insecticide resistance in bed bugs over the past 20 years.
In the first paper, Jeffrey Rosenfeld and colleagues sequence and assemble the genome of the
bed bug and identify all genes expressed during the five immature stages, as well as in adult
males and females. They show that the greatest degree of change in which genes are expressed
by the bed bug takes place when it feeds on blood for the first time. They also compare bed bug
DNA collected from subway stations across the city of New York and find that bed bugs tend to
be more closely related to other bed bugs from the same borough.
In a related paper, Joshua Benoit and colleagues sequence and assemble the genome of the
bed bug, predict which sequences code for proteins, and describe the biological function of those
proteins. They identify 187 potential genes encoding blood digestive enzymes and an expanded
array of salivary proteins that allow bedbugs to feed repeatedly on the same host without
inflicting pain. They also identify genes associated with insecticide resistance, including proteins
in the animals’ cuticle that can impede insecticide penetration, and enzymes that can detoxify
insecticides.
Article and author details
1. Genome assembly and geospatial phylogenomics of the bedbug
Cimex lectularius
Corresponding Author
Jeffrey Rosenfeld
American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States
Email: [email protected], Tel: +1 917 664 8374
DOI
10.1038/ncomms10164
Online paper*
http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms10164
2. Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified
through sequencing of the bed bug genome
Corresponding Author
Joshua Benoit
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Email: [email protected], Tel: +1 513 556 9714
DOI
10.1038/ncomms10165
Online paper*
http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms10165
* Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).
Geographical listings of authors
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France
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Germany
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India
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Netherlands
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New Zealand
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Switzerland
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Taiwan
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United Kingdom
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& United States