Mitochondrial DNA and morphology show independent evolutionary histories of bedbug Cimex lectularius (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) on bats and humans

Abstract

The bedbug, Cimex lectularius, is a well-known human ectoparasite that is reemerging after a long absence of several decades in developed countries of North America and Western Europe. Bedbugs' original hosts were likely bats, and the bedbugs are still common in their roosts. Using morphometry and sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 16S genes, we showed that the populations on bats and humans are largely isolated and differ in morphology. The character of the morphological difference suggests it to be due to adaptation to different hosts, namely adaptations to different sensory, feeding, and dispersal needs. Using the molecular data, we estimated the time of splitting into bat- and human-parasitizing groups using the isolation-with-migration model. The estimate is surprisingly long ago and seems to predate the expansion of modern human from Africa. The gene flow between bat- and human-parasitizing bedbugs is limited and asymmetric with prevailing direction from human-parasitizing populations to bat-parasitizing populations. The differentiation of the populations fits the concept of host races and supports the idea of sympatric speciation. Furthermore, our findings contradict recently formulated hypotheses suggesting bat roosts as a source of bedbug's resurgence as a human pest. Also, we extend the known host range of the bedbug by two bat species.

Extensive Mitochondrial Heteroplasmy in Natural Populations of a Resurging Human Pest, the Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

“…Rather, our results suggest that paternal mtDNA leakage is likely responsible for heteroplasmy because in three populations (AR5-1, RC2-1, and RC3-1), identical heteroplasmic mtDNA haplotypes are present. Furthermore, these haplotypes have been recorded previously in samples sequenced within Europe (Balvin et al 2012, Booth et al 2015. Additionally, some haplotypes in this study differed by three mutations at the region of COI sequenced, each time with the mutation present in the third codon position.…”

“…The second haplotype in each specimen differed from haplotype 1 by either one or three nucleotide substitutions. Haplotype 2, which differs from haplotype 1 at a single base, has previously been reported in C. lectularius (Balvin et al 2012) and was found in three of the five specimens analyzed; the remaining two haplotypes had not been reported in C. lectularius. Each distinct haplotype resulted from synonymous third position codon mutations.…”

“…1; Table 1). A common haplotype previously reported in European populations found infesting both humans and bats, here denoted as haplotype 1 (Balvin et al 2012, Booth et al 2015, was shared by all. In all instances, mtDNA haplotypes appeared in a ratio of 1:2, but haplotype 1 was not always the most abundant (Table 1).…”

Bats as Potential Reservoir Hosts for Vector-Borne Diseases

“…The same had long been thought about the bedbug Cimex lectularius (e.g. Sailer 1952;Usinger 1966), but new results suggest an early sympatric speciation on humans and bats for different populations of bed bugs (Balvín et al 2012). Although various pathogens have been identified from Cimicidae (e.g.…”

Comparison of different cytogenetic methods and tissue suitability for the study of chromosomes in Cimex lectularius (Heteroptera, Cimicidae)

“…Hwang et al 2005, Romero et al 2007, Reinhardt et al 2008, Weeks et al 2010, Balvín et al 2012, Booth et al 2015, including cytogenetic studies using modern methods by Grozeva et al (2010 and the detailed analysis of variable karyotype by Sadílek et al (2013). As it is generally very important to improve methodological approach to research, we used the spreading method for preparing C. lectularius chromosome slides.…”