Insecticide Resistance in the Bed Bug: A Factor in the Pest's Sudden Resurgence?

Abstract

Infestations of the bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. (Heteroptera: Cimicidae), are increasing around the world at an alarming rate and have become a major public health concern. The evolution of insecticide resistance could be a primary factor in explaining this resurgence. Extremely high levels of resistance to two pyrethroid insecticides, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin, relative to a susceptible colony, were detected in populations collected from human dwellings in Kentucky and Ohio. Offspring of a cross between a resistant and susceptible colony had intermediate susceptibility. Evaluations of populations from across the United States indicate that resistance to pyrethroid insecticides is already widespread. Without the development of new tactics for bed bug management, further escalation of this public health problem should be expected.

A Linkage Map and QTL Analysis for Pyrethroid Resistance in the Bed BugCimex lectularius

“…Much of its recent success has been attributed to widespread resistance to insecticides (Romero et al 2007; Romero and Anderson 2016), making pest control increasingly challenging and costly (Koganemaru and Miller 2013). Developing a more detailed understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of insecticide resistance is therefore of clear importance.…”

Investigation of the midgut structure and ultrastructure in Cimex lectularius and Cimex pipistrelli (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

“…C. lectularius was practically eradicated in developed countries in the last century due to the widespread use of DDT; however, recently, it has undergone a global spread due to increased international travel, global commerce, a resistance to pyrethroid insecticides, etc. (Reinhardt & Siva-Jothy 2007, Romero et al 2007, Reinhardt et al 2008, Davies et al 2012, Wang et al 2013, Lilly et al 2015). This species is currently being studied intensively due to its potential to be a medically important vector.…”

Evidence of Tolerance to Silica-Based Desiccant Dusts in a Pyrethroid-Resistant Strain of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

“…Key amongst these has been a response to the growing global evidence that most field bed bug populations have developed resistance to multiple insecticide groups [5,6,7,8,9,10] and, in particular, that they have become highly resistant to pyrethroid insecticides [11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23]. Despite this, and due to a general scarcity of alternative control options [24], when faced with a bed bug infestation both pest management professionals (PMPs) and residents of infested properties continue to apply insecticides in attempts to achieve control [24,25,26,27,28].…”