| Title: | Spatial distribution of histamine in bed bug-infested homes |
| Author(s): | Gordon JM; Santangelo RG; Gonzalez-Morales MA; Menechella M; Schal C; DeVries ZC; |
| Address: | "Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. Electronic address: johnalyn@uky.edu. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA. Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA; Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen, Entomology Science Division, Pesticide Use and Resistance Monitoring Branch, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010, USA. Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163180 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-1026 (Electronic) 0048-9697 (Print) 0048-9697 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Histamine is a component of the bed bug aggregation pheromone. It was recently identified as an environmental contaminant in homes with active bed bug infestations, posing a potential health risk to humans via skin contact or inhalation. It remains unclear how histamine is distributed in homes and if histamine can become airborne. In the present study, histamine levels in household dust were quantified from multiple locations within bed bug infested and uninfested apartments. Bed bug population levels were quantified using both traps and visual counts. The amount of histamine detected varied significantly with respect to sampling location, with the highest concentration of histamine quantified from bedding material. Infestation severity did not have a significant effect on histamine quantified at any location. Our results indicate that the bedroom should be the primary focus of histamine mitigation efforts, although histamine can be found throughout the home. Histamine quantified from homes without active bed bug infestations suggests that histamine from previous infestations can persist following pest eradication. These findings highlight the importance of histamine as a potential insect allergen and will be important for the development of targeted mitigation strategies of bed bug histamine" |
| Keywords: | Humans Animals *Insect Control/methods *Bedbugs Histamine Asthma Cimex lectularius Environmental contaminants Insects Respiratory health; |
| Notes: | "MedlineGordon, Johnalyn M Santangelo, Richard G Gonzalez-Morales, Maria A Menechella, Mark Schal, Coby DeVries, Zachary C eng DP5 OD028155/OD/NIH HHS/ Netherlands 2023/04/01 Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 1; 880:163180. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163180. Epub 2023 Mar 29" |
