Colonization of Cimex lectularius with Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus. (3rd March 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barbarin, Alexis M.; Hu, Baofeng; Nachamkin, Irving; Levy, Michael Z.
• Is Part Of: Environmental microbiology. Volume 16:Number 5(2014:May)
• Page Start: 1222
• Page End: 1224
• Publication Date: 2014-03-03
• Subjects: Microbial ecology -- Periodicals; Environmental Microbiology -- Periodicals; 579.17
• DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12384
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-2912

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Summary</title> <p>A recent paper published by Lowe and Romney in Emerging Infectious Diseases titled, Bed bugs as Vectors for Drug‐Resistant Bacteria has sparked a renewed interest in bed bug vector potential. We followed a pyrethroid resistant strain of the human bed bug (<italic>C</italic><italic>imex lectularius</italic>, L.) fed either human blood or human blood with added methicillin resistant <italic>S</italic><italic>taphylococcus aureus</italic> (MRSA) for 9 days post‐feeding. Results indicated that while the bed bug midgut is a hospitable environment for MRSA, the bacteria does not survive longer than 9 days within the midgut. Additionally, MRSA is not amplified within the midgut of the bug as the infection was cleared within 9 days. Due to the weekly feeding behaviours of bed bugs, these results suggest that bed bug transmission of MRSA is highly unlikely.</p> </abstract>