Bedbugs (Cimicidae infestation): the worldwide renaissance of an old partner of human kind

• Published in: The Brazilian journal of infectious diseases Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 74 - 80
• Main Authors: Criado, Paulo Ricardo, Junior, Walter Belda, Criado, Roberta Fachini Jardim, e Silva, Roberta Vasconcelos, Vasconcellos, Cidia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Elsevier Editora Ltda 01-01-2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; bedbugs; Bedbugs - anatomy & histology; Bedbugs - classification; Bedbugs - physiology; Cimex lectularius; DDT; Ectoparasitic Infestations - diagnosis; Ectoparasitic Infestations - drug therapy; Ectoparasitic Infestations - epidemiology; Ectoparasitic Infestations - parasitology; hemiptera; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; pyrethrins; pyrethrins; bedbugs; Cimex lectularius; DDT; hemiptera
• ISSN: 1413-8670; 1678-4391
• DOI: 10.1016/S1413-8670(11)70144-1

Bedbugs have been known as a human parasite for thousands of years, but scientific studies about this insect are recent and limited. Cimex lectularius, the common bedbug, was a well-known parasite in human dwellings until the end of the Second World War. Nowadays, bedbugs are considered uncommon in the industrialized world. Anecdotal reports suggest that bedbugs are getting more common in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. In Brazil, there are few reports about bedbug infestations in the literature. The aim of this article was to alert physicians, especially in Brazil, about this ectoparasitosis, including aspects of the bedbug biology, their parasitism in human host, treatment and prophylaxis.