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. 2021 Jan 6;18(2):407.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020407.

Widespread Mutations in Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Populations in Paris

Mohammad Akhoundi  1 , Dahlia Chebbah  1   2 , Denis Sereno  3   4 , Anthony Marteau  1 , Julie Jan  5 , Christiane Bruel  5 , Nohal Elissa  2 , Arezki Izri  1   6
Affiliations

Widespread Mutations in Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Gene of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) Populations in Paris

Mohammad Akhoundi et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius and C. hemipterus, are common blood-sucking ectoparasites of humans with a large geographical distribution, worldwide. In France, little is known about the status of bed bugs' infestation and their resistance to insecticides, particularly, pyrethroids. Here, we aimed to find mutations in the kdr gene, known to be involved in resistance to insecticides. We gathered bed bugs from various infested locations, including 17 private houses, 12 HLM building complex, 29 apartments, 2 EHPAD, and 2 immigrants' residences. A total of 1211 bed bugs were collected and morphologically identified as C. lectularius. Two fragments of the kdr gene, encompassing codons V419L and L925I, were successfully amplified for 156 specimens. We recorded sense mutation in the first amplified fragment (kdr1) in 89 out of 156 (57%) samples, in which in 61 out of 89 (68.5%) sequences, a change of valine (V) into leucine (L) V419L was observed. Within the second fragment (kdr2), a homozygous mutation was recorded in 73 out of 156 (46.7%) specimens at the codon 925. At this position, 43 out of 73 (58.9%) specimens had a sense mutation leading to the replacement of leucine (L) by isoleucine (I). Among 162 mutant sequences analyzed (89 for the kdr1 fragment and 73 for the kdr2 one), we detected single point mutation in 26.6%, while 73.4% presented the mutation in both kdr1 and kdr2 fragments. All modifications recorded in bed bug populations of Paris are described to be involved in the knockdown resistance (kdr) against pyrethroids.

Keywords: Cimex lectularius; SNP; insecticides; pyrethroids; voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Geographical topology of the processed locations for bed bug sampling in Ile-de-France, France. 1. Paris arrondissements, 2: Seine-Saint-Denis, 3: Val-de-Marne, 4: Hauts-de-Seine, 5: Seine-et-Marne, 6: Essonne, 7: Yvelines, and 8: Val-d’Oise.
Figure 2
Figure 2
DNA sequence alignment of the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gene fragment encompassing nucleotides corresponding to the codons V419L (Panel A) and L925I (Panel B) in various C. lectularius specimens collected from Paris and suburb cities.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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