30 October 2024

2 minute read

By: Chris Wright

North America

Editori;s note: The following is from a presentation by Aaliyah Gore and colleagues at North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia, during the 2024 annual conference of the American Association of Avian Pathologists.

Cimex lectularius, also known as the common bed bug, is a pervasive external parasite that plagues people all around the world. This hematophagous parasite not only affects humans but has also been reported in poultry production dating back to the 1940s. C. lectularius infestations are one of the most challenging parasitic infestations to treat due to product resistance and rapid reproduction.

A survey was released in 2023 to poultry veterinarians and producers, to determine the extent and impact of the bed bug infestation in the poultry industry. The survey focused on the location and number of affected farms, treatments and controls used, and the negative impact on production. A total of 52 veterinarians and 46 producers responded to the survey.

Most of the companies that experienced infestation were in the southeastern portion of the United States and belong to the broiler breeder and layer breeder sectors of the industry. According to the producers, the major production impact was the increase in floor eggs, due to the C. lectularius residing in the nest boxes.

The goal of this project was to use the data collected to create a predictive model to determine the economic impact of bed bug infestations in breeder operations by focusing on production loss and the cost of successful treatment or control of an infestation.

The objective was accomplished by monitoring and collecting production data of infested breeder farms and comparing it to control farms (no bed bug infestation). From this data, we concluded that bed bug infestation may not have high priority when ranked against other external parasites; however, bed bug infestation can have a grave economic impact on a company.