Team:Aix-Marseille
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Project overview
Our focus this year is fighting bed bugs, invasive pests distributed worldwide, that invade homes and bite humans for their blood. These tiny bugs became harmful from the moment humans made their homes in caves, as the original hosts of bed bugs were bats. Nowadays humans don’t live in caves, but this temporary troglodyte dwelling came with a cost: fighting against an insect addicted to human blood. While their bite usually doesn’t transmit any disease, it still induces serious dermatological and allergic problems.
We aim to find an efficient solution for eradicating bed bugs from infested living spaces. Our strategy consists of two integrated parts: using pheromones as a chemical lure that can attract bed bugs into a trap where they will be contaminated with Beauveria bassiana, a virulent fungus for bed bugs, but safe for humans.