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 will be published soon in the Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology.

Szalanski, A.L., J.W. Austin, J.A. McKern*, C.D. Steelman, D.M. Miller, and R.E. Gold. 2006. Isolation and characterization of human DNA from bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) blood meals. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology 23:3 (in press).