The use of bed bug detection dogs

[Stephen]

Dear Colleagues, these questions are directed to those of you who are currently using bed bug detection dogs. My apologies for not placing this in the bed bug related forum, however I was unable to log into that forum.
Some of you may be aware that in Australia we have developed a Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bug infestations. This can be freely downloaded from www.bedbug.org.au. The Second Edition of the Code is now available as a draft for public comment and includes many of the recent trends and innovations in relation to bed bug activity and management. One of the recent additions covers the use of bed bug detection dogs (BBDD). Concomitant with the bed bug Code, is the recent development of an Australian Code of Practice for the use of Pest Detection Dogs, aimed largely for termite and bed bug detection. The Working Parties behind both of the Australian Codes are continuing to develop and evolve the respect codes to essentially promote ‘best practice’ in the use of pest management technologies. To this end, I have several questions in relation to the use of BBDDs and am interested to hear of others experiences and procedures.
1. A real risk for pest managers, hotel engineers, housekeeper, and others is the possibility of spreading bed bugs on themselves; unfortunately this does happen. In the case of BBDDs, they will come in close contact with bed bugs, thus how does the BBDD handler ensure that the dogs do not pass on bed bugs? For example, do the handlers inspect the dog to ensure that there are no bugs on them after every infestation has been detected (or just the end of the day)? Should the dogs wear no fabric coat, if they do should it be treated with a permethrin wash (for example)? Should the animals coat be closely cropped? Should the BBDD be treated with an insecticide wash before entering a motel? Should the dogs have some sort of disposable overalls or boots? Thus what measures do you take to ensure that the animal does not inadvertently pass on the bugs to subsequent rooms and premises?
2. A certain percentage of the community is allergic to animals and can develop respiratory distress when exposed to animal allergens. The use of BBDDs in motels could represent a litigation risk if a guest subsequently develops a severe adverse allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis. Do any of the current BBDDs handlers have any concerns about this risk? Do the handlers advise the motel management that they (the hotel management) have a responsibility to inform the guest that dogs have come into the room to reduce potential health risks and possible litigation risks? Do the handlers recommend that the room must be vacuumed thoroughly after inspection by the BBDD to reduce the possibility of an individual developing an allergic reaction?
3. Do BBDD handlers undertake a regular quality control regimen on their dog? This may include the placement of contained live bed bugs into a motel room to ensure that the dog actually detects the bugs. If a regular quality control regimen is conducted, how frequently is this done (every inspection, every day, once a week, etc) and what is the nature of the regimen (for example is a single first instar bed bug used, or a group of bugs, etc, thus is the sensitivity of the animal regularly tested)?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely
Stephen
Stephen L. Doggett
Senior Hospital Scientist
Department of Medical Entomology,
ICPMR, Westmead Hospital,
WESTMEAD NSW 2145, Australia.
Ph: +61 2 9845 7265 Fax: +61 2 9893 8659.
Email: stephend@icpmr.wsahs.nsw.gov.au
www.medent.usyd.edu.au The Department of Medical Entomology web site.
www.arbovirus.health.nsw.gov.au The NSW Arbovirus & Mosquito Monitoring Program web site.
www.bedbug.org.au The Department of Medical Entomology Bed Bug web site.

[R.Brannon]

1. This is a great concern for us. We start with a base layer of Frontline Plus, applied monthly, and maintained year round. At the end of the day when there are any hits or certain contact was made with bedbugs, we have a permethrin based spray that we add to the Frontline. In case of a severe infestation, the permethrin spray would be applied before the dog was allowed back in the transport vehicle. Collars/halters can be removed from the dog, bagged and sealed until arrival back at the office, where the collars are treated with steam. We certainly don’t use a fabric coat. We do wash and blow dry at least weekly, and steam treat the transport crates bi-weekly during winter. (summer temps are well above lethal inside a vehicle in our climate.) After reading this question I will certainly consider adding thorough in between stop inspections/spray downs. The in between infested room checks may be needed as well.
2. Our view on this to this point was that in a public setting such as a hotel, there should be no expectation on the part of the customer that there have not been animals in the room. Several hotel chains advertise that they are pet friendly. Even hotels that forbid animals are subject to guests ignoring this rule. Proving which animal may have caused any allergic reaction would be difficult. To this point we have not made any recommendations of post inspection vacuuming.
3. Quality control is one of the most vital aspects of our protocol. Continuous training with live bugs, proofing against false alerts, and always using a controlled live hide in field settings are part of this. Verification through a live bug controlled hide is done at a minimum of twice daily, and at every inspection. Proofing is done somewhere between daily and at least weekly. Live hides consist of a variety of bugs, from multiple adults down to microscopically confirmed viable eggs alone.

[Stephen Doggett]

Thanks R.Brannon, I was especially interested in the issue of how you undertook your quality control audits; has NESDCA developed a procedural guideline on this yet? As mentioned in the earlier post, there is in development a Code of Practice for the use of Pest Detection Dogs and no quality control procedures had been included; some feel that it is inappropriate to place live bed bugs in a motel room even if in a sealed container. Personally I don't see this as a risk, although perhaps it should it be mentioned to the hotel management.
Kind regards
Stephen

[R.Brannon]

Stephen,
We have yet to include any mandatory ongoing training guidelines... our focus thus far has been on the independent verification of ability regardless of the ongoing training needed to meet our standards. We have discussed it, but the earliest any changes like that would occur would be at our next formal meeting, if we feel they are appropriate.
The way I deal with the associated risk of accidental release is to give the property owner/manager a close up view of the containers, and verify with them that they feel comfortable with the placement. If they do not, we simply don't use them. Or should I say, don't plan to as all of them have agreed to the placement so far. We also verify at removal that the container is intact, and the bugs are all still accounted for.
Obviously we do run the risk of having to give a no-cost area treatment if the bugs do escape. My feeling is that even were the container compromised, the hides are usually done in areas the bugs would be comfortable in anyway, so hopefully there would not be a massive dispersal. Some easy additional level of safety would be to have a sure count of the bugs in the container, not use 1st instar nymphs for field placed controlled hides, and have at least 2 people count the insects after retrieval.