Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Species identification and pyrethroid resistance genotyping of recently resurgent Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus in Korea

  • Susie Cho (Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University) ;
  • Heung Chul Kim (U Inc.) ;
  • Hoonsik Eom (Research Institute of Korea Pest Control Association) ;
  • Jae Rok Lee (U Inc.) ;
  • Chung Hyun Ko (U Inc.) ;
  • E-hyun Shin (Research Institute of Korea Pest Control Association) ;
  • Won Kyu Lee (Research Institute of Korea Pest Control Association) ;
  • Si Hyeock Lee (Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University) ;
  • Ju Hyeon Kim (Department of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Seoul National University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2024.01.10
  • Accepted : 2024.04.15
  • Published : 2024.05.31
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Abstract

The global resurgence of bed bug infestations, exacerbated by increasing international travel, trade, and insecticide resistance, has significantly impacted Korea. This study identified the bed bug species and performed pyrethroid resistance genotyping of recently resurgent bed bugs in Korea. Thirty-one regional bed bug samples were collected from 5 administrative regions: Gyeonggi-do (n=14), Seoul (n=13), Busan (n=2), Jeonllanam-do (n=1), and Chungcheongbuk-do (n=1). The samples underwent morphological and molecular identification. Twenty-four regional samples (77.4%) were identified as the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus, and the remaining 7 regional samples (22.6%) were identified as the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius. The C. hemipterus regional samples carried at least three mutations associated with knockdown resistance (kdr), including 2 super-kdr mutations. The 7 C. lectularius regional samples possessed at least one of the 3 kdr-related mutations associated with pyrethroid resistance. This study confirms that the prevalent bed bug species recently in Korea is C. hemipterus, replacing the previously endemic C. lectularius. Additionally, the rise in bed bug populations with pyrethroid resistance underscores the necessity of introducing alternative insecticides.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

We would like to express our gratitude to the member companies of the Korea Pest Control Association and the Infectious Diseases Research Center, Citizen's Health Bureau, Seoul Metropolitan Government that participated in collecting bed bug specimens. Ms. S. Cho was supported in part by the Brain Korea 21 Plus program. This work was supported by grants from the Korea Pest Control Association and Seoul National University Hospital.

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