A large gap in our understanding of resurgent bed bug populations concerns their geographic origins and their patterns of spread into new areas. To address this gap, we conducted a population genetic analysis of bed bug infestations in the US, Canada, and Europe using microsatellite markers. We found that infestations within a building have low genetic diversity, suggesting they are generally started by a small number of individuals, possibly a single inseminated female. We found that heavily infested apartment buildings are comprised of closely related individuals and are likely colonized by a single introduction event which spreads through the building. At the continent level, there is a high genetic diversity with no clear structure at the scale of the city or state. Finally, there is a lack of strong genetic differentiation between populations in North America and Europe suggesting a common global source of bed bugs on the two continents.

Molecular genetic characterization of bed bug populations: From local infestations to global patterns

244th National Meeting (2012)

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