Korean J Parasitol.  2008 Dec;46(4):269-271. 10.3347/kjp.2008.46.4.269.

Reemergence of the bedbug Cimex lectularius in Seoul, Korea

• Lee IY
• Ree HI
• An SJ
• Linton JA
• Yong TS

• KMID: 1720595
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2008.46.4.269

Abstract

A healthy 30-yr-old woman carrying an insect that had been caught in her living room visited the International Clinic at Severance Hospital, Seoul, in December 2007. The insect she brought was identified to be a nymph of a bedbug, Cimex lectularius, and her skin rashes looked typical bedbug's bites. Her apartment was investigated, and a dead body of a bedbug, cast skins, and hatched eggs were found in her rooms and neighbors' rooms in the same building. She was living in that apartment in Seoul for 9 months since she had moved from New Jersey, USA. We assume that the bedbugs were introduced from abroad, since there had been no report on bedbugs in Seoul for more than 2 decades at least. This is a report of a reemergence of the common bedbug, C. lectularius in Seoul, Korea.

Keyword

Cimex lectularius; bedbug; reemergence; Seoul; Korea

MeSH Terms

Adult
Animals
*Bedbugs/anatomy & histology
Dermatitis/*pathology
Female
Humans
Insect Bites and Stings/*pathology
Insecticides
Korea/epidemiology