Abstract
Background Bartonella quintana, the etiologic agent of trench fever and other human diseases, is transmitted by the feces of body lice. Recently, this bacterium has been detected in other arthropod families such as bed bugs, which begs the question of their involvement in B. quintana transmission. Although several infectious pathogens have been reported and are suggested to be transmitted by bed bugs, the evidence regarding their competence as vectors is unclear.Methodology/Principal FindingsBed bugs at the adult and instar developmental stages were fed three successive human blood meals inoculated with B. quintana bacterium from day one (D1) to D5; subsequently they were fed with pathogen-free human blood until the end of the experiment. Bed bugs and feces were collected in time series, to evaluate their capacities to acquire, multiply and expel viable B. quintana using molecular biology, immunohistochemistry and cultures assays. B. quintana was detected molecularly in 100% of randomly selected experimentally infected bed bug specimens (D3). The monitoring of B. quintana in bed bug feces showed that the bacterium was detectable starting on the 3rd day post-infection (pi) and persisted until day 18±1 pi. Although immunohistochemistry assays localized the bacteria to the gastrointestinal bed bug gut, the detection of B. quintana in the first and second instar larva stages suggested a vertical non-transovarial transmission of the bacterium.ConclusionThe present work demonstrated for the first time that bed bugs can acquire, maintain for more than 2 weeks and release viable B. quintana organisms following a stercorarial shedding. We also observed the vertical transmission of the bacterium to their progeny. Although the biological role of bed bugs in the transmission of B. quintana under natural conditions has yet to be confirmed, the present work highlights the need to reconsider monitoring of these arthropods for the transmission of human pathogens.
Highlights
Bartonella quintana is a fastidious gram-negative bacterium that is regarded as a re-emerging human pathogen [1]
Bartonella quintana, the etiologic agent of trench fever and other human diseases, is transmitted by the feces of body lice. This bacterium has been detected in other arthropod families such as bed bugs, which begs the question of their involvement in B. quintana transmission
The present work demonstrated for the first time that bed bugs can acquire, maintain for more than 2 weeks and release viable B. quintana organisms following a stercorarial shedding
Summary
Bartonella quintana is a fastidious gram-negative bacterium that is regarded as a re-emerging human pathogen [1]. After the detection of B. quintana DNA in fleas [16], it was experimentally demonstrated that the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, could acquire and excrete viable B. quintana in their feces [17] These results supported the likely vector role of fleas in trench fever or other clinical manifestations caused by B. quintana [17]. Bartonella quintana, the etiologic agent of trench fever and other human diseases, is transmitted by the feces of body lice. This bacterium has been detected in other arthropod families such as bed bugs, which begs the question of their involvement in B. quintana transmission. Several infectious pathogens have been reported and are suggested to be transmitted by bed bugs, the evidence regarding their competence as vectors is unclear
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