Stercorarial shedding and transtadial transmission of hepatitis B virus bycommon bed bugs (Hemiptera : Cimicidae)

Transtadial persistence and stercorarial shedding of hepatitis B virus (HBV ) in common bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., was studied by using experiment al infectious blood feedings, infectious intrathoracic inoculations, and vi rus detection by polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization. Resu lts showed that HBV persisted after an infectious blood meal in bed bug bod ies for up to 35 d after the infectious blood meal. It was passed transtadi ally through one molt regardless of instar, was shed in fecal droplets for up to 35 d after the infectious blood meal, but was not passed transovarial ly. In bugs inoculated intrathoracically, HBV was detected for 21 d postino culation. Previous studies detected the hepatitis B surface antigen found o n both infectious and noninfectious particles in bed bugs. In this study, t he presence of nucleic acids amplified from a conserved core region of the viral genome in bodies and feces of C. lectularius suggests that the HBV vi rus may he mechanically transmitted in feces or when bugs are crushed, duri ng feeding.