The Common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) in metropolitan France. Survey on the attitudes and practices of private- and public-sector professionals.
The Common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, had virtually disappeared from France in the 1950s; however, a worldwide resurgence of bed bugs (C. lectularius and C. hemipterus) has been observed since the 1990s. To document modern pest control activities for the management of bed bugs, a survey was conducted in metropolitan France among the two main categories of professionals regularly called upon to deal with the control of infestations: Municipal Health and Safety Services (MHSSs) and private Pest Management Companies (PMCs). These professionals responded to a questionnaire targeting their knowledge, attitude and practices related to the process for diagnosing a bed bug infestation and the processes taken to actually control an infestation. There were 68 responses received from MHSSs and 51 from the PMCs. The responses indicate that every single département (French administrative division) in metropolitan France has witnessed at least one intervention for bed bugs. Among the criteria considered sufficient to confirm a bed bug infestation, direct observation of bugs was the most commonly cited response. Faced with an infestation, most PMCs used a combination of non-chemical and chemical methods, and systematically performed two treatments. This survey is the first of professionals involved in bed bug control in metropolitan France and confirms the growing importance of bed bugs as a public health pest. Establishing a database to monitor this emerging pest would improve the understanding of the distribution of these insects, help guide educational requirements, identify research needs and assist in ensuring that the most appropriate control practices are undertaken.
Centre National d'Expertise sur les Vecteurs, Centre IRD France Sud, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
Frédéric
F
Jourdain
Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie, Hôpital de l'Archet, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, 06000 Nice, France - Inserm U1065, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, 06000 Nice, France.
Pascal
P
Delaunay
Unité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses Tropicales (URMITE), UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Faculté de Médecine de la Timone, Université Aix-Marseille, 13000 Marseille, France.
Jean-Michel
JM
Bérenger
Centre National d'Expertise sur les Vecteurs, Centre IRD France Sud, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France.
Yvon
Y
Perrin
UMR MIVEGEC, IRD 224-CNRS 5290-UM, Centre IRD France-Sud, 911 avenue Agropolis, BP 64501, 34394 Montpellier, France.
Vincent
V
Robert
D000818:Animals; D001511:Bedbugs; D004478:Ectoparasitic Infestations / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D007303:Insect Vectors; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors