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PubMed2002

Population dynamics of adult fleas (Siphonaptera) on hosts and in nests of the California vole.

Microtus californicus (Peale, 1848) were live trapped or retrapped 887 times, and fleas were collected over a 2.5-yr period in the San Francisco Watershed and Wildlife Refuge. Also, 179 M. californicus nests were collected monthly with observations to identify the environment of fleas. The ratio of the mean number of fleas per nest to the mean number collected on voles was 4.7:1 for Malaraeus telchinus (Rothschild, 1905), 13:1 for Hystrichopsylla occidentalis linsdalei Holland, 1957,9:1 for Atyphloceras multidentatus multidentatus (C. Fox, 1909), and 76:1 for Catallagia wymani (C. Fox, 1909). The proportion of each flea species per nest to those per host was not closely associated seasonally or spatially. The average nest contained 37.5% moisture content in relation to its total weight and ranged between 3 and 92%. No relationship was observed between relative humidity of air within nests and flea number, but a significant relationship existed between the moisture of nesting materials and flea number. Malaraeus telchinus and A. m. multidentatus were collected in greatest numbers from nests having 30-39% moisture content by weight, and H. o. linsdalei and C. wymani were most numerous in nests that had 40-49% moisture content. Catallagia wymani had the greatest tolerance for high moisture and was severely affected by lack of moisture and nearly absent in drier nests. No ectoparasites were collected from nests that had <12% moisture content, and nests with >50% moisture content had few fleas. A static concept of nest fleas and host fleas as suggested by averages and often used in literature is questionable. In seasonal comparison of populations of fleas on hosts and in nests, M. telchinus and H. o. linsdalei reversed so that more of the flea population was on the host than in the nest for a short time during fall.

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

Comparative evaluation of juvenoids for control of cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in topsoil.

The efficacy of a photostable formulation of methoprene and two photostable juvenoids, fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen, and their residual activity in inhibiting the emergence of adult cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), was studied in topsoil. Nursery pots composed of clay, peat, and plastic, and wooden flats were used to hold soil samples. Treated soil samples were exposed to sunlight during the 63-d study period. Methoprene was as effective as fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen against cat fleas for up to 42 d in clay, peat, and plastic pots at a concentration of 64.56 mg (AI)/m2 (6 mg [AI]/ft2), but its activity declined significantly thereafter. In contrast, fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen showed strong residual activity for the entire 63 d. The activity of methoprene declined even more rapidly over time in wooden flats, while at the same concentrations the other two juvenoids showed significant residual activity for 63 d. Clay, peat, and plastic pots were therefore considered to be equally effective for evaluating the outdoor efficacy of juvenoids in comparison to the wooden flats. However, results obtained with wooden flats may be more realistic when testing residual activity of volatile chemicals such as methoprene. Fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen showed strong efficacy and residual activity at concentrations of 8.07, 16.14, and 32.28 mg (AI)/m2, whereas methoprene did not cause a significant reduction of adult emergence at levels below 64.56 mg (AI)/m2. LC50 values for methoprene, fenoxycarb, and pyriproxyfen needed for preventing flea emergence when applied to topsoil were estimated to be 0.643, 0.031, and 0.028 ppm, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Studies on the growth of Bartonella henselae in the cat flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Two out of three pools of cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), that were fed Bartonella henselae-positive cat blood for 3 d and then bovine blood for 3 d, were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for B. henselae. In a second experiment, three cats were inoculated with a streptomycin-resistant strain of B. henselae. After the cats were inoculated, caged cat fleas were fed on the cats during three different periods, and then pooled and transferred to noninfected recipient cats. In the first trial, the bacteria in the flea feces were below level of detection when the fleas were transferred from the infected cats to the recipient cat. After the fleas had fed on the recipient cat for 6 d, a bacteria level of 4.00 x 10(3) CFU/ mg was detected in the flea feces. Subsequently, the bacteria level increased for 4 d and then declined. In another experiment, the bacteria level in the flea feces was 1.80 x 10(3) CFU/mg at 2 h after collection and 3.33 x 10(2) CFU/mg at 72 h after collection. These data indicated that this strain of B. henselae can persist in flea feces in the environment for at least 3 d, and that B. henselae can multiply in the cat flea.

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PubMed2003

Detection of novel Bartonella strains and Yersinia pestis in prairie dogs and their fleas (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae and Pulicidae) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

We developed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that simultaneously detects three types of flea-associated microorganisms. Targets for the assay were sequences encoding portions of the gltA, a 17-kDa antigen, and pla genes of Bartonella spp. Strong et al., Rickettsia spp. da Rocha-Lima, and Yersinia pestis Yersin, respectively. A total of 260 flea samples containing bloodmeal remnants were analyzed from fleas collected from abandoned prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) burrows at the site of an active plague epizootic in Jefferson County, CO. Results indicated that 34 (13.1%) fleas were positive for Bartonella spp., 0 (0%) were positive for Rickettsia spp., and 120 (46.2%) were positive for Y. pestis. Twenty-three (8.8%) of these fleas were coinfected with Bartonella spp. and Y. pestis. A second group of 295 bloodmeal-containing fleas was collected and analyzed from abandoned burrows in Logan County, CO, where a prairie dog die-off had occurred 2-4 mo before the time of sampling. Of these 295 fleas, 7 (2.4%) were positive for Bartonella spp., 0 (0%) were positive for Rickettsia spp., and 46 (15.6%) were positive for Y. pestis. Coinfections were not observed in fleas from the Logan County epizootic site. The multiplex PCR also was used to identify Y. pestis and Bartonella in prairie dog blood and tissues. This report represents the first identification of Bartonella from prairie dogs and their fleas. Prairie dog fleas were tested with PCR, and the Bartonella PCR amplicons produced were sequenced and found to be closely related to similar sequences amplified from Bartonella that had been isolated from prairie dog blood samples. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the sequences of bartonellae from prairie dogs and prairie dog fleas cluster tightly within a clade that is distinct from those containing other known Bartonella genotypes.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Efficacy and longevity of nitenpyram against adult cat fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Nitenpyram (Capstar) is a fast acting, orally administered flea treatment that is absorbed into the blood of the host animal and is readily available for uptake by feeding fleas. We examined the efficacy of a single dose of nitenpyram against adult cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), over several days. We recorded adult flea mortality and flea egg production on treated and untreated cats. Nitenpyram provided 100% kill of all fleas on the host at the time of treatment and for up to 24 h after treatment. Between 24 and 48 h after treatment, there was a 98.6% reduction in adult flea numbers. From 48 to 72 h, there was a 5% reduction in adult fleas. There was a 97% reduction and 95.2% reduction in the number of flea eggs collected from treated versus untreated animals during the first 48 h and from 48 to 72 h, respectively. In addition, we quantified three distinct behavioral responses of infested adult cats treated with nitenpyram to determine the extent of any immediate, overt behavioral responses in treated animals. A significant increase in scratching, biting, licking, and twitching occurred for 5 h. The biting and licking continued for 7 h after treatment. Administration of nitenpyram provides an effective mechanism to eliminate adult fleas from hosts for up to 48 h after treatment.

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PubMed2000

The flea genus Sigmactenus (Siphonaptera: Leptopsyllidae): a new species from timor and new material from New Guinea and the Philippines.

Both sexes of Sigmactenus timorensis n. sp. are described from Rattus tanezumi and Rattus exulans collected in West Timor, Indonesia. The true host presumably is a native murine rat such as the extant, endemic Rattus timorensis or 1 of several extinct, endemic Timorese rats. Analyses of new collections of Sigmactenus cavifrons and Sigmactenus toxopeusi from New Guinea demonstrate that these fleas show considerable morphological variation. We propose that they represent a single species with the name S. toxopeusi having priority. New collections of Sigmactenus werneri from the Philippines expand the known hosts and geographical distribution of this flea.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

First blood meal of Ctenocephalides canis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) on dogs: time to initiation of feeding and duration.

Two experiments were conducted on dogs to evaluate interval to initiation and duration of the first blood meal of Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis). Percentage of fed male and female fleas was calculated for fleas held on dogs for 5, 15, 30, 60 min, 6, and 24 hr. Duration of first blood meal was also measured for individual fleas confined on dogs. When fleas were free in the hair coat, 21.2% had begun blood feeding within 5 min. After 1 hr, 72.5% of fleas had fed. After 6 hr, 95.2% of males and 100% of females had taken a blood meal, and 24 hr after deposition all fleas had fed. There was no significant difference between the 2 sexes. The mean delay between deposition and biting for fleas that began feeding within 15 min was 2 min 52 sec +/- 3 min 2 sec for female fleas and 3 min 8 sec +/- 2 min 45 sec for males. The mean duration of female and male meals was 5 min 3 sec +/- 3 min 41 sec and 6 min 9 sec +/- 6 min 8 sec, respectively. There was no significant difference between the 2 sexes. The dog flea took its blood meal on dogs more slowly than the cat flea did on cats; this meal was significantly longer for Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche) than for C. canis.

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PubMed2006

Age-dependent flea (Siphonaptera) parasitism in rodents: a host's life history matters.

We studied age-dependent patterns of flea infestation in 7 species of rodents from Slovakia (Apodemus agrarius, A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus arvalis, and M. subterraneus). We estimated the age of the host from its body mass and expected the host age-dependent pattern of flea abundance, the level of aggregation, and prevalence to be in agreement with theoretical predictions. We expected that the mean abundance and the level of aggregation of fleas would be lowest in hosts of smallest and largest size classes and highest in hosts of medium size classes, whereas pattern of variation of prevalence with host age would be either convex or asymptotic. In general, mean abundance and species richness of fleas increased with an increase in host age, although the pressure of flea parasitism in terms of number of fleas per unit host body surface decreased with host age. We found 2 clear patterns of the change in flea aggregation and prevalence with host age. The first pattern demonstrated a peak of flea aggregation and a trough of flea prevalence in animals of middle age classes (Apodemus species and C. glareolus). The second pattern was an increase of both flea aggregation and flea prevalence with host age (both Microtus species). Consequently, we did not find unequivocal evidence for the main role of either parasite-induced host mortality or acquired resistance in host age-dependent pattern of flea parasitism. Our results suggest that this pattern can be generated by various processes and is strongly affected by natural history parameters of a host species such as dispersal pattern, spatial distribution, and structure of shelters.

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PubMed2004

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XLIV. Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) collected from 15 carnivore species.

Fleas were collected from 61 wild carnivores belonging to 13 species in various nature reserves and on farms, two feral domestic cats in a nature reserve and a domestic dog in the city of Johannesburg. Eleven flea species, including two subspecies of one of these, belonging to six genera were recovered. Amongst these only Ctenocephalides felis felis and Ctenocephalides felis strongylus are considered specific parasites of carnivores. The remaining ten species normally infest the prey animals of the various carnivores.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

A review of the South American flea subgenus Ectinorus Jordan 1942, with descriptions of two new species and a key (Siphonaptera: Rhopalopsyllidae).

Ectinorus (E.) chilensis sp. n. from Abracoma bennetti and E. (E.) matini sp. n. from Aconaemys fuscus are described from collections from Chile. A diagnosis for the genus Ectinorus is given and differences between the nominate subgenus and the subgenus and the subgenus Dysmicus are briefly discussed. A key to the presently recognized species of the subgenus Ectinorus is included.

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

Effects of feeding on the circadian rhythm of Ceratophyllus s. sciurorum (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae).

Circadian rhythm in newly emerged blood-fed individuals of the flea Ceratophyllus s. sciurorum was studied in a constant environment, using an insect activity monitor. The results of trials run continuously over seven days confirmed the finding that C. s. sciurorum has a self-sustaining clock. Statistical tests confirm that feeding weakens the rhythm but does not eliminate it. There was a significant difference in the mean activity between the fed and unfed fleas, reflecting the difference in the number of hours over which this activity took place. A possible commercial application for the monitor and also for the method of analysis is discussed.

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.

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