The ability to identify individual human hosts based on analyses of blood recovered from hematophagous insects is beneficial for both medical and forensic entomology.  Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., may have several advantages over other blood feeding arthropods for human forensics because they do not remain on the host after feeding, yet they will remain in close proximity to a crime scene. We have successfully isolated, amplified and sequenced human DNA obtained from adult bed bugs. These results showed that DNA isolated from bed bugs is qualitatively and quantitatively sufficient for DNA typing and could be helpful to identify individual human hosts for forensic analysis.

This research has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology, volume 23, issue 3 pages 189-194. Abstract:

     The ability to identify individual human hosts based on analyses of blood recovered from hematophagous insects is beneficial for both medical and forensic entomology. Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., may have several advantages over other blood-feeding arthropods for forensics since they do not remain on the host after their blood-feeding activity and remain in close proximity to a crime scene. Successful isolation, amplification, and sequencing of human DNA obtained from adult bed bugs, is reported for the first time from this study. Engorged bed bugs were recovered from a human volunteer and from field collected samples from New York, NY and Brazos County, TX. Samples were preserved by drying, stored in 70% ethanol, or freezing at -20C. DNA was extracted from the individual insects and PCR was conducted using short tandem repeat (STR), human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region (HVR1), and insect mtDNA 16S markers.  Amplification of a STR marker used in forensic investigations, D18S51, a HVR1 marker, and an insect mtDNA 16S marker was successful. These results demonstrate that DNA isolated from bed bugs is qualitatively and quantitatively sufficient for DNA typing and could be helpful to identify individuals for forensic analysis.