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Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius) Defecation Behavior Following a Blood Meal

Darrington, Courtney L
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429871182

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Entomology.
Bed bugs are reported to harbor >40 human pathogens, however, their potential for disease transmission remains poorly understood. Basic feeding behaviors have been documented, but few studies record defecation, and none report whether a bed bug defecates while feeding. We tested the hypothesis that bed bug defecation behavior could facilitate pathogen transmission, and we used the stercorarial system of pathogen transmission documented in triatomines as a model for comparison. We describe post-feeding defecation behaviors of bed bugs, including a long-term laboratory strain, Harlan, and two field collected populations, EPM and Shalamar. In initial trials with Harlan fifth instars and adults on an artificial feeder, the majority defecated less than a minute after withdrawing their mouthparts and within 25 mm of the feeding site. However, there were qualitative differences depending on the stage, with adult feces dropping onto the substrate whereas nymph feces remained on the anus. The defecation index (DI) of Harlan fifth instars was 1.71; Harlan adults had a DI of 2.31, with females having a much higher DI (2.72) than males (1.90); similar trends for the sexes have been documented in triatomines. Adult bed bugs were the subjects in all subsequent trials, and we observed that they moved a relatively short distance from their feeding site to the site of their first defecation (mean 1.0-2.5 cm), regardless of whether they fed on an artificial feeder or a live host (naked rat). Adult females took the largest blood meals and defecated closer to the feeding site than adult males. In studies with live rats, nearly one-third of all bed bugs defecated on the host after their meal was completed, and defecation occurred within 5 min or less. Replete bed bugs were almost ten times more likely to defecate than non-replete bed bugs. Our studies indicate that bed bug post-feeding defecation behavior could facilitate potential disease transmission. Furthermore, based on a stercorarial system of pathogen transmission, female bed bugs would be most epidemiologically important stage. A significant barrier to successfully rearing bed bugs in the laboratory is their typical unwillingness to feed from an artificial system, which perhaps stems from the absence of host cues. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major host signal detected by bed bugs, but there are no studies documenting its effect on feeding behavior. We compared bed bug feeding success on an artificial feeding system when exposed to a high flow rate of CO2 (2700 mL/min) or no CO2 (control). We tested bed bugs from four populations: Harlan; Shalamar, a recently collected (2014) field population; and Cuyahoga and Marcia, both collected in 2010. Our study documented an increased feeding response of bed bugs from four populations when CO2 was present at a high flow rate rather than absent. Within populations, Cuyahoga and Marcia had the greatest feeding response, with Cuyahoga significantly so. Exposing feeding bed bugs to a high flow rate of CO2 may be a useful solution for rearing bed bug populations that feed poorly from an artificial system.
Susan C Jones, Ph.D (Advisor)
Pete Piermarini, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Diana Ortiz, Ph.D (Committee Member)
113 p.
Entomology
Cimex lectularius; defecation; transmission; carbon dioxide; feeding

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Darrington, C. L. (2015). Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius) Defecation Behavior Following a Blood Meal [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429871182

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Darrington, Courtney. Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius) Defecation Behavior Following a Blood Meal. 2015. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429871182.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Darrington, Courtney. "Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius) Defecation Behavior Following a Blood Meal." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429871182

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1429871182
977
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.