Middle East DVEP - Armed Forces Pest Management Board

can squirt their secretions a distance of 80 cm or more.5. Cimicidae (bed bugs). The common bed bug, Cimex lectularis, has been associatedwith humans for centuries and is cosmopolitan in distribution. Bed bug infestations aretypical of unsanitary conditions, but they can still be found in developed countries. Thereis little evidence that bed bugs transmit any pathogens. Bites can be very irritating, proneto secondary infection after scratching, and may produce hard swellings or welts. Bedbugs feed at night while their hosts are sleeping and hide during the day in cracks andcrevices, under mattresses, in mattress seams, spaces under baseboards, or loosewallpaper. Chronic exposure to bed bugs can result in insomnia, nervousness and fatigue.There are five nymphal instars before development to adults. Each nymph must take abloodmeal in order to molt. Adults live up to one year. Bed bugs take about five minutesto obtain a full bloodmeal. They can survive long periods of time without feeding. Bedbugs possess scent glands and emit a characteristic odor that can easily be detected inheavily infested areas. Blood spots on bed clothing and fecal deposits are other signs ofinfestation. Some species attack bats and various birds but do not bite man.Bed bugs have become established in hotels, apartments, and office buildings in Baghdadand are probably common in other areas of the Middle East. Bed bugs can be introducedinto barracks through infested baggage and belongings. In contingency situations, olddwellings should be surveyed for these and other pests before they are occupied.6. Dipterans Causing Myiasis. Myiasis refers to the condition of fly maggots infestingthe organs and tissues of people or animals. Specific cases of myiasis are clinicallydefined by the affected organ, e.g., cutaneous, enteric, rectal, aural, urogenital, ocular, etc.Myiasis can be accidental when fly larvae occasionally find their way into the humanbody. Accidental enteric myiasis occurs from ingesting fly eggs or young maggots onuncooked foods or previously cooked foods that have been subsequently infested. Othercases may occur from the use of contaminated catheters, douching syringes, or otherinvasive medical equipment in field hospitals. Accidental enteric myiasis is usually abenign event, but larvae may survive temporarily, causing stomach pains, nausea, orvomiting. Numerous fly species in the families Muscidae, Calliphoridae, andSarcophagidae are involved in accidental enteric myiasis. A common example is thecheese skipper, Piophila casei (family Piophilidae), which infests cheese, dried meats andfish.Facultative myiasis occurs when fly larvae infest living tissues opportunistically afterfeeding on decaying tissues in neglected wounds. Considerable pain and injury may beexperienced as fly larvae invade healthy tissues. Facultative myiasis has been common inwounded soldiers throughout military history, and numerous species of Muscidae,Calliphoridae, and Sarcophagidae have been implicated. Species of these families arewidespread throughout the Middle East.Myiasis is obligate when fly larvae must develop in living tissues. This constitutes trueparasitism and is essentially a zoonosis. Obligate myiasis is a serious medical condition.In humans, obligate myiasis results primarily from fly species that normally parasitizedomestic and wild animals. The sheep bot fly, Oestrus ovis, is widespread in Middle136