1st Place: Investigation of a novel allergen from the common bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)

Tropomyosin is a muscle contraction protein documented across all animal life. Despite its ubiquity, its unique structure in invertebrates leads to sensitivity and allergic responses in humans that vertebrate tropomyosin does not. Documented in crustaceans, mollusks, house dust mites, cockroaches, and termites, tropomyosin has been identified as a major allergen across many taxa. The high degrees of homology between the forms of tropomyosin found in each of these groups explains cross-reactivity among tropomyosin derived from these distantly-related species and establishes tropomyosin as a panallergen. This study represents a novel investigation into the ability of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) to contaminate the indoor environment with tropomyosin, with specific attention paid to tropomyosin in bed bug bodies, feces, and exuviae, and its persistence over time. Given the large population sizes bed bug infestations can reach and their close proximity to humans, bed bug-produced tropomyosin could pose a substantial risk to humans. Therefore, it is critical to further investigate bed bug-produced tropomyosin, since exposure tropomyosin from bed bugs can sensitize individuals and lead to higher response to other arthropod tropomyosin.