In an exciting scientific discovery, a new study revealed that bed bugs have developed genetic resistance to insecticides, which enhances their ability to survive despite the use of strong toxins against them. This genetic mutation may pose a new threat to public health, especially in light of the return of bed bugs to appear in many places around the world.
A genetic mutation that helps to escape pesticides
The study led by a team of insects from the Virginia Institute of Technology and the Public University showed that bed bugs had developed a genetic mutation called the A302s RDL GENE MUTIONT, which is the same boom that was discovered in German cockroaches and which gives it resistance to the insecticide “Deldrin” – one of the pesticides that was used as an alternative to “DDT” in the 1940s. According to the “Sciencealert” website for scientific research.
According to researcher Warren Booth, from the study team, “When we went back to examine many individuals from the two groups, we found that each of them was carrying the mutations. These mutations were fixed, the same boom that we found in German cockroaches.”
Old pesticides and modern pesticides stop working
Scientists emphasize that the genetic mutation shows the ability of bed bugs to adapt not only to old pesticides such as deldrin, but also with modern pesticides such as Vibronel, which is currently used to fight fleas and home cockroaches.
Bath added. “Cockroaches that developed the mutation have become resistant to the pesticides together, and now we discovered that the same thing happens with bed bugs,”
While pesticides such as derdreen were used extensively until the 1990s, Vibronel is considered one of the modern pesticides that have been mainly used to fight home insects, but new research indicates that bed bugs may now be more able to resist it.
New challenges in combating bed bugs
These discoveries open a new door to understand the development of bed bugs resistance, and increase the challenges in attempts to eliminate them.
The researchers explained that “bed bugs had been subjected to sufficient opportunities to be exposed to substances such as dealsin before their use was stopped in the nineties, and now they are able to resist Vibronel, which is continuing to use the fleas for pets.”
Scientists expect this study to provide deeper visions on how these genetic mutations develop, with the aim of providing new solutions to combat these annoying insects.
“If bed bugs have evolved into a resistance to the most common pesticides, then the biggest challenge now is to find innovative ways to effectively combat them,” said Booth.
