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Vol. 15. Issue 1.
Pages 74-80 (January - February 2011)
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Vol. 15. Issue 1.
Pages 74-80 (January - February 2011)
Review article
Open Access
Bedbugs (Cimicidae infestation): the worldwide renaissance of an old partner of human kind
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Paulo Ricardo Criado1,
Corresponding author
prcriado@uol.com.br

Correspondence to: Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP Instituto Central, 3° andar, Av. Dr. Enéas de Carvalho Aguiar, 255 05403-000, São Paulo Brazil Phone: 55 11 30698001.
, Walter Belda Junior2, Roberta Fachini Jardim Criado3, Roberta Vasconcelos e Silva4, Cidia Vasconcellos5
1 Dermatology; School of Medicine, Universidade de São Paulo - USP; Assistant professor, Dermatology, HC-FMUSP
2 UNICAMP; Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, FMUSP
3 IAMSPE; Alergist, Dermatology, Faculdade de Medicina do ABC
4 Department of Dermatology, FMUSP
5 Department of Pathology, FMUSP; Professor at the Post-Graduation Programme, IAMSPE e UNICID
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Article information
Abstract

Bedbugs have been known as a human parasite for thousands of years, but scientific studies about this insect are recent and limited. Cimex lectularius, the common bedbug, was a well-known parasite in human dwellings until the end of the Second World War. Nowadays, bedbugs are considered uncommon in the industrialized world. Anecdotal reports suggest that bedbugs are getting more common in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. In Brazil, there are few reports about bedbug infestations in the literature. The aim of this article was to alert physicians, especially in Brazil, about this ectoparasitosis, including aspects of the bedbug biology, their parasitism in human host, treatment and prophylaxis.

Keywords:
hemiptera
bedbugs
Cimex lectularius
pyrethrins
DDT
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