IgE against bed bug (Cimex lectularius) allergens is common among adults bitten by bed bugs

摘要

Cimex lectularius, the bed bug, is found worldwide and likely has been sharing human dwellings dating back to prehistoric times. With increased use of pesticides after World War II, the reports of bed bugs in developed countries decreased significantly. Recently, C lectularius has made a resurgence, including in New York City (NYC) where housing violations for bed bugs rose from 82 to 4084 between 2005 and 2009.The potential health implications of this increase in domestic exposure are not known; however, there is some evidence that exposed individuals can make a type 1 allergic response to C lectularius bites (see Table E1 in this article's Online Repository at www.jacionline.org). In the 1990s, researchers in Egypt reported skin test positivity to crude C lectularius extract among asthmatic patients.Another case report identified C lectularius nitrophorin protein (cNP), a nitric oxide-carrying protein found in the injected saliva, that elicited an IgE antibody response in 1 patient.