According to researchers Warren Booth (Virginia Tech University) and Camille Block (Arizona State University), these bloodsucking pests are a hybrid of two distinct populations. Through their research, they discovered a mutation in a gene that signals possible resistance to two widely used insecticides, specifically fipronil and dieldrin. This finding raises concerns about the effectiveness of these pesticides in controlling bed bugs and highlights the need for further research.
Detection of the mutation in two independent populations of bed bugs suggests that this is a more general problem within these pests. Fipronil primarily controls fleas on dogs and cats via topical spot-on treatments. By contrast, dieldrin became an effective pest control weapon from which the military would have to be rescued by a 1990s ban. This mutation may transform the way exterminators approach bed bug outbreaks. It shows that bed bugs are becoming resistant, just as German cockroaches have.
Discovery of the Gene Mutation
Booth, who heads the research at his lab, the Integral Ecology Research Center, said their findings are important. The mutation seems to be environmentally induced and is found inside bed bug cells connected to the nervous system. Especially important as it pertains to pest control strategies, this discovery represents an exciting new chapter in entomological studies.
The research project started as an opportunity for graduate student Camille Block to learn molecular research techniques. She could hardly contain her excitement as she shared her experience. I had never done any type of molecular work at all so learning these molecular skills has been super essential, she continued. The research began with a vibrant concept of “fishing expedition” style. Its goal was to determine whether the gene mutation was present in bed bugs.
After doing more detailed analyses, Booth found something shocking. He said at first, when they screened a couple of people from each of the two populations, each and every one of them had the mutations. This result suggests that rather than just being occasionally picked up by chance, this mutation is actually established and even ubiquitous in these bed bug populations.
Implications for Pest Control
The effects for this particular gene mutation go much deeper. Fipronil is widely used in flea and tick treatments for dogs and cats. Booth thinks that millions more pet owners are inadvertently contaminating their pets’ sleeping areas with fipronil residue. When pets who’ve been treated with fipronil sleep on beds or couches, they’re capable of depositing traces of the pesticide. This can lead to more resistance developing in local bed bug populations.
Moreover, the genetic uniformity seen within these bed bugs is due to extreme inbreeding. This genetic and ecological homogeneity means that oftentimes only one specimen is actually acting as a representative of a wider, poorly defined population. One limitation of this study is that the findings may not necessarily correlate with bed bug populations in other regions or areas affected.
Booth went in-depth about the relationship between bed bugs and German cockroaches. So they were candidate for these mutations, and it’s the exact same mutation that we’re finding in German cockroaches. This conspicuous similarity begs the question of what this evolution of insecticide resistance means for pest management strategies in the future.
Future Research Directions
The next steps Booth and Block are to take their U.S.-based research to a global level. They hope to explore whether or not this mutation exists in other areas, particularly in Europe. They will be studying historical specimens from museum collections to determine whether the mutation has recently appeared or has been around for decades.
Booth said it’s hard to know exactly when this mutation first emerged. We don’t have any way of knowing whether that mutation is new, i.e., arose after October 2023 or during that time period. This lack of clarity underscores the importance of further study. We need to know how these mutations evolve and accumulate through generations, and how they may affect future pest control measures.