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PubMed1993

Blood-feeding of the gerbil flea Nosopsyllus laeviceps kuzenkovi (Yagubyants), vector of plague in Inner Mongolia, China.

The gerbil flea Nosopsyllus laeviceps (Wagner) (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) is an important Palaearctic vector of enzootic plague among sylvan and campestral rodents. Laboratory blood-feeding experiments with the subspecies N.l.kuzenkovi (Yagubyants) from Inner Mongolia, China, using three rodent species including the natural host Meriones unguiculatus (Milne-Edwards), demonstrated a positive relationship between per cent feeding and time allowed for feeding, particularly for female fleas. Also the bloodmeal size was proportional to sucking time and was significantly greater in females, which are larger, than in males. However, on all four strains of host tested, there was no significant correlation between the feeding success rate of the fleas and the amount of blood they imbibed. Fleas fed better on active compared to confined M.unguiculatus. These findings agree with studies of other flea species.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Coevolutionary arms races: increased host immune defense promotes specialization by avian fleas.

We investigated the relationship between host defense and specialization by parasites in comparative analyses of bird fleas and T-cell mediated immune response of their avian hosts, showing that fleas with few main host species exploited hosts with weak or strong immune defenses, whereas flea species that parasitized a large number of host species only exploited hosts with weak immune responses. Hosts with strong immune responses were exploited by a larger number of flea species than hosts with weak responses. A path analysis model with an effect of T-cell response on the number of host species, or a model with host coloniality directly affecting host T-cell response, which in turn affected the number of host species used by fleas, best explained the data. Therefore, parasite specialization may have evolved in response to strong host defenses.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Field efficacy of a 10 per cent pyriproxyfen spot-on for the prevention of flea infestations on cats.

The clinical application of a new method for using the insect growth regulator, pyriproxyfen, for controlling flea populations in cat-owning homes is evaluated for the first time. In a multicentric, controlled and randomised trial, 107 flea-infested cats were treated with a minimum dose of 10 mg/kg bodyweight pyriproxyfen as a 10 per cent spot-on application on two occasions, with a three-month interval between doses. For comparison, 99 cats received lufenuron suspension orally, once a month, for six months. Flea counts decreased significantly over time in each group and were significantly lower in the pyriproxyfen group than in cats treated with the reference product. The percentage of 'zero-flea' cats increased from 49 per cent on day 30 to 88 per cent on day 180 in the pyriproxyfen group and from 30 to 71 per cent in the lufenuron group at the same time points (P<0.05). Appropriately timed topical applications of pyriproxyfen, therefore, offer a method of flea control in the domestic environment.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2003

Evaluation of fipronil spot-on in the treatment of flea allergic dermatitis in dogs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with 10 per cent fipronil solution for controlling signs of flea allergic dermatitis in dogs under field conditions. Thirty-one client-owned dogs with flea allergic dermatitis were treated with three monthly applications of 10 per cent fipronil solution. Flea counts and pruritus were significantly reduced at all post-treatment visits. At the final visit, on day 90, flea counts were reduced by 98 per cent, and pruritus was reduced or eliminated in 84 per cent of the study dogs. Dermatological lesion scores for erythema, crusts, scales and papules were also significantly improved by the final visit. The overall assessment of efficacy on day 90 was 'excellent' to 'good' for 87 per cent of the study dogs. The results demonstrate that treatment with monthly topical applications of 10 per cent fipronil solution is effective in reducing the prevalence and severity of signs of flea allergic dermatitis in dogs.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1993

New method for plague surveillance using polymerase chain reaction to detect Yersinia pestis in fleas.

Yersinia pestis, the plague bacillus, infects a variety of mammals throughout the world and is transmitted by fleas. We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test using primers designed from the Y. pestis plasminogen activator gene to directly detect plague-infected fleas. As few as 10 Y. pestis cells were detected, even in the presence of flea tissue, by PCR and then agarose gel electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. The feasibility of the assay was demonstrated by using naturally infected Xenopsylla cheopis fleas. The detection of Y. pestis in fleas by PCR provides a rapid and sensitive way to monitor plaque in wild animal populations, allowing public health officials to better assess the potential risk of transmission to humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

The biology, ecology, and management of the cat flea.

The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis, is the most important ectoparasite of domestic cats and dogs worldwide. In addition to its annoyance to pets and humans, C. felis felis is responsible for flea bite allergy dermatitis and the transmission of dog tapeworm. The abiotic and biotic factors that affect the development of immature stages are reviewed with special emphasis given to those aspects directly affecting control. Factors influencing host selection and feeding by adults are summarized. Recent studies concerning mating and oviposition, especially as they impact the likelihood of survival by immatures, are discussed. There has been an increase in the number of reports of insecticide resistance in the past ten years. Greater attention has been placed on disrupting larval development in modern IPM programs. The immature stages of the cat flea are extremely susceptible to environmental factors such as temperature and relative humidity and insect growth regulators (IGRs). In recent years, the control of cat fleas has increasingly relied on the use of IGRs applied to the host or to the indoor environment. Finally, we discuss advances in pesticide chemistry that provide tools for better control of adult fleas on the host.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Lesions of experimental flea bite hypersensitivity in the dog.

Hypersensitivity to fleas was induced in flea-naive dogs by controlled challenge exposure to virgin fleas. By week 10 of the investigation, immediate (15 minute) and delayed (24-48 hours) responses could be elicited in the skin by flea bites. Histologically, the immediate response consisted of edema and eosinophils which sometimes overlapped with a delayed inflammatory response comprised of perivascular lymphocytes and fewer histiocytes. These inflammatory patterns correlated with type I or immediate, and type IV or cellular, allergic reactions. The combined immediate and delayed responses to fleas in the dog are as observed by other investigators in man and guinea pigs.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Small rodents fleas from the bubonic plague focus located in the Serra dos Orgãos Mountain Range, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Eleven species of fleas were collected from 601 small rodents, from November 1995 to October 1997, in areas of natural focus of bubonic plague, including the municipalities of Nova Friburgo, Sumidouro and Teresópolis, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Among 924 fleas collected, Polygenis (Polygenis) rimatus (Rhopalopsyllidae) was the predominant species regarding the frequency, representing 41.3% (N:382), followed by P. (Neopolygenis) pradoi, representing 20% (N:185) and Craneopsylla minerva minerva (Stephanocircidae), representing 18.9% (N:175). The host Akodon cursor harbored 47.9% of these fleas. Other six host species were infested by 52.1% of the remaining fleas. Fleas were found on hosts and in places within the focus not previously reported by the literature.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Off-host observations of mating and postmating behaviors in the cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

A blood meal was necessary for a male cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), to display the mating attempts to an unfed or fed female. More mating pairs resulted when both sexes were fed. Copulation occurred when fed fleas were placed on surfaces with temperatures from 34 to 42 degrees C. This article not only describes the mating and postmating behaviors of cat fleas, but also compares them with those of other fleas. The sequence of mating behavior began when a male approached a female ventrally, and the male's antennae and claspers became erect to attach to the abdomen of the female. Clasper attachment lasted until copulation ended, whereas the male retrieved his antennae immediately after genitalia linkage. The male generally grasped the female's tarsi with his claws during mating. The length of the mating interval terminated by the male ranged from 25 to 110 min and was significantly longer than that terminated by the female (averaging 12.11 min). After the mating pair separated, the male displayed a series of postmating behaviors discussed herein. This article documents grasping and postmating behaviors of the male cat flea.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Water balance in two species of desert fleas, Xenopsylla ramesis and X. conformis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

The role of water balance capabilities of fleas was examined in desert habitats. The fleas studied were Xenopsylla ramesis Rothschild and Xenopsylla conformis Wagner. Both fleas occur on Sundevall's jird, Meriones crassus, in the Negev Highlands of Israel but in different macro- and microhabitats. Because M. crassus occurs in several habitats of the highlands, it was used as a model for investigating the effect of habitat parameters on species composition of fleas within a host species. Water balance parameters investigated were the range of humidities over which active water uptake occurs in the larvae and prepupae of X. ramesis and X. conformis. Critical equilibrium humidity estimates were close to 65% RH for larvae and prepupae of both species. Water loss rates were determined for each life stage, except eggs, and represented water loss from cuticular, respiratory, and other body openings) under conditions of little or no bulk air movement. When converted to a proportional rate (1.44 -2.37% mass loss h(-1)) water loss rates did not differ significantly between stages or species. Thus, geographic separation of X. ramesis and X. conformis could not be explained by any difference in water uptake capabilities or water loss rates. Other factors that may be important include interspecific competition for resource availability among larval fleas and effect of soil texture on cocoon construction.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Effect of topical application of fipronil in cats with flea allergic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether topical application of a 10% fipronil solution would control signs of flea allergic dermatitis in cats housed under natural conditions. DESIGN: Multicenter open clinical trial. ANIMALS: 42 client-owned cats with flea allergic dermatitis. PROCEDURES: Study cats along with all other cats and dogs living in the same houses were treated with 10% fipronil solution topically on days 0, 30, and 60. Flea counts and clinical assessments were performed on study cats on days 0, 14, 30, 60, and 90. RESULTS: Percentage reductions in geometric mean flea counts on days 14, 30, 60, and 90, compared with day-0 geometric mean count, were 75, 73, 85, and 94%, respectively. Pruritus score was significantly improved at each examination after day 0, and pruritus was reduced or eliminated in 31 of 40 (78%) cats at the final examination. Similarly, scores for severity of miliary dermatitis and alopecia were significantly improved at each examination, except for alopecia score on day 14. Overall treatment efficacy, assessed on day 90, was excellent for 28 (70%) cats, good for 6 (15%), moderate for 3 (7.5%), and poor for 3 (7.5%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results suggest that monthly topical application of fipronil is effective for treatment of flea allergic dermatitis in cats housed under natural conditions.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2003

Molecular detection of Bartonella quintana, B. koehlerae, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, Rickettsia felis, and Wolbachia pipientis in cat fleas, France.

The prevalences of Bartonella, Rickettsia, and Wolbachia were investigated in 309 cat fleas from France by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and sequencing with primers derived from the gltA gene for Rickettsia, the its and pap31 genes for Bartonella, and the 16S rRNA gene for Anaplasmataceae. Positive PCR results were confirmed by using the Lightcycler and specific primers for the rOmpB of Rickettsia and gltA of Bartonella. R. felis was detected in 25 fleas (8.1%), W. pipientis, an insect symbiont, in 55 (17.8%), and Bartonella in 81 (26.2%), including B. henselae (9/81; 11.1%), B. clarridgeiae (55/81; 67.9%), B. quintana (14/81; 17.3%), and B. koehlerae (3/81; 3.7%). This is the first report of the amplification of B. quintana from fleas and the first description of B. koehlerae in fleas from an area outside the United States. Cat fleas may be more important vectors of human diseases than previously reported.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Detection of murine typhus infected fleas with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of Rickettsia typhi antigen in homogenates of pooled or individual laboratory infected fleas is described. The assay uses a double sandwich technique, employing a pool of monoclonal antibodies to capture the antigen and a hyperimmune rabbit serum for antigen detection. Using pools of R. typhi infected Xenopsylla cheopis, Ctenocephalides felis, and Leptopsylla segnis, the sensitivity of the ELISA was compared with direct fluorescent antibody examination of individual fleas for rickettsiae and with rickettsial titers determined by plaque enumeration on primary chicken embryo fibroblasts (PFU). Pooled samples with less than 4 PFU of viable rickettsiae gave ELISA results which were not significantly above background. Both ELISA OD and ELISA titer (last dilution giving an OD that was 2 SD above the control) of a 1:10 dilution of homogenate (4 fleas/ml) were linearly related to rickettsial titer up to 10(6.8) PFU/sample. Multiple freeze-thaws of pools of infected fleas led to a rapid loss of ELISA sensitivity. ELISA assays on single fleas demonstrated large individual variability in rickettsial content. This was independent of the number of days postinfectious feeding or the mean number of PFU/flea (10(1.7-6.9) found for pooled fleas in the same cohort. The sensitivity and ease of performance of ELISA should make it usable under field conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Outdoor survival and development of immature cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in Florida.

In north-central Florida, cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis Bouché, larvae survived outdoors year round. Their survival was greatest (up to 84.6%) outdoors in the fall, from September to November, when both temperatures and relative humidities were moderate. Female cat fleas developed faster than males. Development times for flea larvae were shortest (20-24 d) in June and July. From January to March, flea larval mortality was highest (91.7-100%) and development times the longest (36-50 d) outdoors. This was the result of low temperatures and low relative humidities associated with the passage of cold fronts during this time of year. Flea larvae survived light frosts in protected microhabitats such as inside a doghouse and under a mobile home.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

The fleas (Siphonaptera) of South Carolina with an assessment of their vectorial importance.

We document 25 species of fleas from South Carolina including new state records for two species, the ctenophthalmids Epitedia cavernicola and Rhadinopsylla orama. Host and other collection data, by county, are provided, including many new records amassed from 1992-1998 and some older records gleaned from the Clemson University Arthropod Collection. One flea species, the rhopalopsyllid Polygenis gwyni, is especially common and widespread in South Carolina, particularly on the cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) in coastal plain habitats. The largest number of flea species (8) from a single host species was recorded from the cotton mouse, Peromyscus gossypinus. Several flea species of potential medical or veterinary importance were recorded, some of which are potential vectors of pathogens, such as the agents of murine typhus, murine typhus-like disease, sylvatic epidemic typhus, cat scratch disease, and rodent bartonellosis. A host-flea list for South Carolina is included.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

[The flea in cultural history and first effects of its control].

The knowledge about the biology and the origin of fleas from different periods of time as well as different geographical regions are described, starting from antiquity. Among this, the role of fleas in literature and art, for example in fairy tales and legends, proverbs and fables, painting and music and also the so called "circus of fleas" are covered. In connection with those aspects of cultural history the first efforts of control of flea plagues are mentioned. In addition to magic spells, these also include more or less complicated fleatraps for fleas and attempts of chemical control.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Vertical transmission of Rickettsia felis in the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis Bouché).

Rickettsia felis can be maintained in cat fleas by vertical transmission for up to 12 generations without the benefit of an infected host. Horizontal transmission or the acquisition of R. felis by fleas feeding on cats or artificially infected meals were not demonstrated in this study. Horizontal transmission of R. felis by the ingestion of feces or eggs by flea larvae was not detected. We also tested for and found no evidence to support horizontal transmission by contact among positive fleas and negative fleas.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Surveillance of commensal rat and shrew populations in the Bangkok area with references to flea index as the risk indicator of plague.

Commensal rats and shrews were trapped from 47 fresh food markets in Bangkok during the two study periods in the same markets: 21st June to 28th December 1999 and 1st March to 31st May 2000. Trapping was performed using wire live traps on three consecutive nights in each period. The trapped animals were identified for taxonomic species and flea infestation. Fleas were collected, identified and counted. Four species of rodents: Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, Rattus exulans and Mus musculus, and one species of shrew: Suncus murinus were trapped in comparable numbers during the two study periods. Among the 1177 animals trapped, 84.3 per cent were R. norvegicus. Regarding sex prevalence, a higher number of female animals were trapped compared to males. Almost all the fleas collected were Xenopsylla cheopis, and there were very few Ctenocephalidesfelis-felis. Flea index based on the number of X. cheopis was 0.65 for all over Bangkok. Based on the geographical area of Bangkok, the inner area had the highest rodent population and the highest flea index of 0.86. Therefore, the inner region should be the priority for sanitation improvement.

Animals↗