Seasons, Searches, and Intentions: What The Internet Can Tell Us About The Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Epidemic

Abstract

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) is once again prevalent in the United States. We investigated temporal patterns in Google search queries for bed bugs and co-occurring terms, and conducted in-person surveys to explore the intentions behind searches that included those terms. Searches for "bed bugs" rose steadily through 2011 and then plateaued, suggesting that the epidemic has reached an equilibrium in the United States. However, queries including terms that survey respondents associated strongly with having bed bugs (e.g., "exterminator," "remedies") continued to climb, while terms more closely associated with informational searches (e.g., "hotels," "about") fell. Respondents' rankings of terms and nonseasonal trends in Google search volume as assessed by a cosinor model were significantly correlated (Kendall's Tau-b P = 0.015). We find no evidence from Google Trends that the bed bug epidemic in the United States has reached equilibrium.

Insecticide resistance and resistance mechanisms in bed bugs, Cimex spp. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

“…Only a small number of people may have no visible effect after repeated bed bug bites, and this lack of response may depend on previous exposure, although some people never develop a reaction despite multiple bites over time [24, 25]. Controlled laboratory studies have shown that bed bugs are capable of transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi (the etiological agent of Chagas disease) and Bartonella quintana (the etiological agent of trench fever) [26, 27]. However, to date there is no evidence to support the premise that bed bugs transmit these or other pathogens to humans in their natural habitat [10, 19, 21, 27].…”

“…Controlled laboratory studies have shown that bed bugs are capable of transmitting Trypanosoma cruzi (the etiological agent of Chagas disease) and Bartonella quintana (the etiological agent of trench fever) [26, 27]. However, to date there is no evidence to support the premise that bed bugs transmit these or other pathogens to humans in their natural habitat [10, 19, 21, 27]. …”

Bed bugs and possible transmission of human pathogens: a systematic review

“…Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus are two species that primarily feed on humans (in addition to domestic animals) [13, 18], and a global spread of these two bed bug species may translate to widespread infestations and may also act as a route of human pathogen transmission. Recently, the media and the medical community have been concerned about this very possibility, and the amount of media attention focused on bed bugs has increased [11, 13, 39]. …”

Internet search query analysis can be used to demonstrate the rapidly increasing public awareness of palliative care in the USA

“…A total of 141 million Americans regularly search the internet for health-related information 4. It is increasingly accepted that the internet and its applications represent a reliable means for gathering accurate data on population behaviour and health-related phenomena among the general public 5.…”

“…It is increasingly accepted that the internet and its applications represent a reliable means for gathering accurate data on population behaviour and health-related phenomena among the general public 5. The surveillance of internet search queries has proven particularly useful for tracking infectious diseases, for example, influenza and Lyme disease 4. Surveillance of influenza outbreaks using internet search query data has been shown to have comparable accuracy as traditional methods 6.…”