The Common Bed Bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Does Not Commonly Use Canines and Felines as a Host in Low-Income, High-Rise Apartments

Abstract The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) is a known pest and an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite. Bed bugs can feed on warm-blooded animals including humans, bats, poultry, rabbits, but no research has investigated the use of companion (canines and/or felines) as blood source. This study investigates how long host DNA could be detected in prevalence feeding animals. Laboratory-reared were fed to determine human, feline, canine, rabbit up 21 d postfeeding. Additionally, 228 collected from 12 apartments with pets (6: 5: 1: canine feline), characterized engorged or unengorged, then screened host-specific primers identify bloodmeal. Host meals rabbit, after laboratory strains. All died blood, post feeding/death. Of field-collected analyzed, human was amplified 158 (69.3%) bugs, 7 (3.1%), feline 1 (0.4%). Results this suggest that predominately humans rarely when they cohabitate low-income, high-rise apartments. results warrant future investigations into by different housing structures socioeconomic environments.