Understanding genetic variation among populations of medically significant pest insects is important in studying insecticide resistance and insect dispersal. Cimex lectularius L. is  widespread haematophagus insect pest around the world, including North America, and is currently having a resurgence. To date no studies have been conducted on genetic variation of this species. Adult bed bugs were subjected to genetic analysis using PCR to amplify and sequence a region of the mitochondrial DNA genome and a portion of the nuclear rRNA internal transcribed spacer region.Heterozygosity was observed within many of the sampled populations for the mtDNA marker.  This suggests that bed bug populations did not undergo a genetic bottleneck as one would expect from insecticide control during the 1940’s and 1950’s, but instead, populations may have been maintained on other hosts such as birds and bats. In contrast to the high amount of heterozygosity observed with the mitochondrial DNA marker, no genetic variation in the nuclear rRNA marker was observed. This suggests a recent expansion of previously isolated bed bug populations in the United States, and given the absence of barriers to gene flow, the spread of insecticide resistance may be rapid.

Our publication on genetic variation of bed bugs was published recently in the Journal of Medical Entomology. A copy of the paper can be downloaded here.