Malaysian scientists discover bed bugs can help in forensic investigations

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The discovery suggests that if bed bugs are found at a crime scene, they may carry the genetic fingerprints of whoever was recently there.

PHOTO: AFP

GEORGE TOWN – They can be found everywhere – airport lounge sofas, bus seats, and even hotel and hostel beds.

But who would have known that bed bugs can play a role in forensic investigations?

Scientists discovered that the blood the bugs consumed has the DNA of people whom they fed on.

A Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) team began studying the role of these blood suckers after collecting specimens at airport lounge sofas in 2014.

Their study was published in Scientific Reports.

USM researchers reported that Cimex hemipterus – a common tropical bed bug species – can retain human DNA in their guts for up to 45 days after feeding.

In a subsequent research paper published in Forensic Science International in August 2024, the USM team outlined a practical field protocol for collecting and analysing tropical bed bugs as forensic evidence.

The work was led by entomologist Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid and his postdoctoral researcher Lim Li from the School of Biological Sciences.

Together, they extracted DNA from bed bugs, which had been fed human blood under controlled conditions.

“Right after feeding, we could recover full genetic profiles using STR (short tandem repeat) and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphisms) methods.

“And even 45 days later, we were still able to retrieve partial profiles – enough, in some cases, to point