View source for Cimex

==Background==

=== Microbiology ===
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Cimex'' species}}

*''Cimex'' species (primarily ''Cimex lectularius'' and ''Cimex hemipterus'') cause bed bug infestations
*Insect with well-developed eyes and head with a flat, round body, that can become engorged and round after feeding

=== Epidemiology ===

*Almost eradicated from developed countries due to widespread use of DDT, but is now reemerging
*Have never been confirmed to carry infection, though some unconfirmed hypotheses that can transmit [[Hepatitis B virus|hepatitis B]] and [[Hepatitis E virus|E]]
*Night feeding, feeding for 5 to 10 minutes before leaving to digest
*Can hide essentially anywhere in any dark crevice, even telephones, cracks in walls, drawers, baseboards, etc

==Clinical Manifestations==

*Bites are typically on exposed areas, such as face, neck, and hands or arms
*May have hemorrhagic puncta
*Sometimes three linear bites ("breakfast, lunch and dinner")

==Differential Diagnosis==

*[[Cimex adjunctus]] (bat bugs): develops in colonies of roosting bats (e.g. in attics or walls of building), and can transiently infest human areas; bug appears similar, but without the bats they cannot reproduce
*[[Oeciacus vicarius]] (swallow bugs): swallow nests, with bites usually in late winter or early spring where they transiently move into human habitat and bite humans

==Diagnosis==

*Diagnosis is made by seeing bedbugs in the environment

==Management==

*There is no treatment, except to supportively treat the pruritus (topical corticosteroids, crotamiton, or antihistamines)
*Environment needs to be decontaminated, so call an exterminator

==Prevention==

*Place legs of legs in water or paraffin to prevent bugs from crawling into bed
*Permethrin-impregnated bednet, which must be carefully tucked under the mattress
*Environmental insecticides

[[Category:Ectoparasites]]