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Spray-dried bovine blood: an effective laboratory diet for Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

Commercially available spray-dried protein sources were evaluated as replacement laboratory cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché), larval diets for slaughterhouse-collected heat-dried blood. Percentage of adult emergence of fleas reared on adult flea feces (87.7%) and spray-dried bovine blood (79%) did not significantly differ, and yeast supplementation did not significantly increase adult emergence for spray-dried diets. However, yeast supplementation of heat-dried blood increased percentage adult emergence from 0 to 41.7%. Spray-dried bovine blood was found to be a satisfactory laboratory diet for cat flea larvae.

Animals↗

Inhibition of immature Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) development in the immediate environment of cats treated with imidacloprid.

The hypothesis that dermally applied imidacloprid may transfer from treated cats, Felis catus L., to their immediate environment in quantities sufficient to have a significant effect on developing immature cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), was tested in a controlled experiment. Flea eggs harvested from untreated donor cats were incubated on replicated samples from blankets used by treated or untreated cats under standardized conditions. As compared with controls, the percentage of adult flea emergence on blankets used by treated animals was reduced by 100% in the 1st wk after treatment and by 84, 60, and 74% in subsequent weeks (P < 0.001).

Animals↗

First bloodmeal of Ctenocephalides felis felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) on cats: time to initiation and duration of feeding.

Three experiments were conducted on cats to evaluate precocity and duration of the first blood meal of Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché). Percentage of engorged fleas was calculated for fleas held on cats for 5, 15, 30, and 60 min. Duration of first blood meal was also measured for individual fleas confined on cats. When fleas are free in the hair coat, 24.9% are engorged after 5 min and 97.2% are engorged after 1 h. Fleas confined to a vial on the cats fed significantly sooner; 60% of females were engorged within 5 min. The mean delay between deposition and biting for fleas, which began feeding within 15 min, was 24 s +/- 31 s for females and 23 s +/- 44 s for males. The mean duration of meals was 25 +/- 18 min for females and 11 +/- 8 min for males.

Animals↗

Infection and seroconversion of cats exposed to cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis Bouché) infected with Rickettsia felis.

Cats with no prior exposure to cat fleas were exposed to fleas infected with Rickettsia felis and monitored monthly for seroconversion via an indirect fluorescent assay (IFA). Each of 12 cats continually infested with fleas, seroconverted by four months post-exposure. Three of six cats fed on by 50 fleas for 15 minutes once per week also seroconverted by month four. Rickettsia felis DNA was detected by PCR in the blood of five of the 16 cats.

Animals↗

Experimental transmission of Cytauxzoon felis from bobcats (Lynx rufus) to domestic cats (Felis domesticus).

Freshly collected blood and/or spleen homogenate from an experimentally infected Florida bobcat (Lynx rufus floridanus), which had died of feline cytauxzoonosis, was inoculated into domestic cats. All inoculated cats had clinical signs of feline cytauxzoonosis and died within 2 weeks after they were inoculated. Similar material collected from an eastern bobcat (Lynx rufus rufus) carrying an experimentally infected Cytauxzoon felis parasitemia was inoculated into domestic cats. All inoculated cats developed a parasitemia, but none developed clinical signs of disease and none died of the disease. Cats subinoculated with parasitemic cat blood also developed parasitemias and they too did not develop clinical signs of infection nor died. After carrying the blood phase of Cytauxzoon felis for various periods, the domestic cats were then challenge exposed with proven lethal Cytauxzoon inoculum of domestic cat origin. All cats died of cytauxzoonosis.

Animals↗

A comparison of the diencephalic and subcortical telencephalic areas of the brain of Felis jaguarondi and Felis domestica.

The gross topographic features of a freshly prepared brain of the Felis jaguarondi (yagouaroundi) indigenous to Central and South America but rare in North America, was compared with an endocast from the Philippine F. minuta (bengalensis) and brains of the American F. domestica (catus). The F. jaguarondi and domestica brains were essentially the same, the former being slightly longer, while that of the F. minuta is smaller. The brain of the jaguarondi was then embedded in celloidin for microscopic study and compared with that of F. domestica. No significant differences were found in nuclei or principal myelinated fiber tracts of the medulla, pons, mesencephalon or cerebellum. There were differences, however, in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LG) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). The LG of the jaguarondi has an S-shaped configuration compared to the comma-shaped configuration in the domestic cat. Planimetry revealed that the LG of the jaguarondi was approximately two and a half times as large as that of F. domestica. The laminar organization and cellular discontinuities were similar. The BST of jaguarondi differed from that of F. domestica in its orientation and cellular organization. The BST of the jaguarondi is divided in two or three parts (depending on the level) by fascicles of the stria terminalis. Other details of the nuclear differences and their possible significance are discussed. This is the only account of the subcortical areas of the brain of F. jaguarondi known to the authors.

Animals↗

Efficacy of lufenuron against developmental stages of fleas (Ctenocephalides felis felis) in dogs housed in simulated home environments.

Twenty-four, adult, female Beagles were arranged by body weight from greatest to least and allocated to 2 groups of 12 dogs, using random numbers. Dogs were housed collectively in 2 adjacent metal buildings, each divided into 4 rooms measuring 2.1 x 3.7 m. Each room was paneled and carpeted and had an access door to the outside with a connecting run that measured 2.1 x 9.1 m. Each run had a surface consisting of 5 cm of pea gravel overlaying 5 cm of sand, and was partially covered by an awning that provided shade at its proximal end. For placement in room/run units, dogs in each of the treated and control groups were alloted to 4 subgroups of 3 dogs each. Each subgroup of dogs was placed in a separate room/run unit. Units containing treatment or control subgroups were alternated to avoid placing identically treated subgroups adjacent to each other. Dogs of subgroups A, C, E, and G were treated with lufenuron monthly at a minimal target dosage of 10 mg/kg of body weight; those of subgroups B, D, F, and H were treated with excipient tablets. Dogs were treated on study days 7, 37, 68, and 98. Each dog was infested with 100 newly emerged, unfed, insectary-reared, adult Ctenocephalides felis on each of study days 0 and 2. Thereafter, infestations on all dogs were dependent on continued development of fleas either in the indoor or outdoor environment. Numbers of fleas on each of the treated and control dogs were determined, using a nondestructive counting technique on days 6, 14, 21, 28, 35, 56, 70, 84, 98, 112, and 119.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Sperm capacitation in the domestic cat (Felis catus) and leopard cat (Felis bengalensis) as studied with a salt-stored zona pellucida penetration assay.

The ability of domestic cat or leopard cat spermatozoa to penetrate zonae pellucidae (ZP) of salt-stored, domestic cat oocytes was examined as an assay for sperm capacitation. Ovarian oocytes were recovered after ovariectomy and matured in vitro for 18-36 h. Following removal of cumulus cells, the oocytes were used fresh, or stored (4 degrees C, 0.5-24 weeks) in a HEPES-buffered hypertonic salt solution. Electroejaculated, washed sperm (2-4 x 10(6) sperm/ml) were preincubated for 1.0 h (38 degrees C, 5% CO2 in air) and then co-incubated (2 x 10(5) sperm/ml) with fresh or stored oocytes for 6.0 h. Gametes were incubated in a protein-free, modified Tyrode's solution (TLP-PVA) or in the same medium containing 4.0 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA; TALP-PVA). Treatments were compared for percentage ZP penetration (defined as sperm heads reaching more than halfway through the ZP) as an index of sperm capacitation. In both the domestic cat and leopard cat, there was no difference (P greater than 0.05) in sperm penetration of fresh ZP (domestic cat, 42.5 +/- 5.4%; leopard cat, 38.6 +/- 2.8%) or stored ZP (domestic cat, 32.4 +/- 4.2%; leopard cat, 27.6 +/- 2.3%). Sperm incubated in protein-free medium (TLP-PVA) were less capable (P less than 0.05) of ZP penetration (domestic cat, 14.6 +/- 5.9%; leopard cat, 7.9 +/- 3.0%) than sperm incubated in medium TALP-PVA containing BSA (domestic cat, 60.3 +/- 5.9%; leopard cat, 58.4 +/- 3.0%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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IgG and IgE antibodies against antigens of the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis, in sera of allergic and non-allergic dogs.

Antigens from a soluble extract of cat fleas (FS) were separated using SDS-PAGE, and transferred to nitrocellulose paper. Sera from dogs shown by use of a provocative flea feeding test to be either allergic (23 dogs) or non-allergic (20 dogs) to flea bites, were used in Western blots to identify flea antigens that react with canine IgG or IgE. The sera were also tested in ELISA against FS to quantify levels of IgG and IgE antibodies. Antibodies present in the sera of both flea allergic and non-allergic dogs identified multiple antigens. There was a great diversity of responses within each group, and there was no pattern of reactivity that distinguished dogs with flea allergy from dogs not allergic to fleas. IgG and IgE antibodies were not significantly different between the two groups of dogs. These results demonstrated that there is little association between particular antibody responses and allergic reactivity of dogs to fleas.

Allergens↗

Allergenicity of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis)

Adult fleas, spent and unspent culture media were extracted and the radio-allergosorbent test (RAST) performed with sera of 48 cat flea skin test-positive individuals from the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Sixteen sera (33.6%) had a positive RAST to the cat flea extract prepared in our laboratory [1.7-11.4% of the total counts (TC) added]. Six of the 16 sera (12.5%) also contained specific IgE to allergens in the spent medium (0.8-3.3% TC). The allergen composition and strength were studied by RAST inhibition of two commercial cat flea extracts and compared with our in-house flea extract. The results demonstrated similar allergen compositions and different potencies. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of the in-house flea extract showed several Coomassie blue-stained bands (10-85 kD). SDS-PAGE immunoblots revealed five IgE-binding bands at 34, 35, 39, 54 and 60 kD. Flea allergens were quantified in eight house dust samples using RAST inhibition assays and expressed as RAST inhibition units; five of these samples contained detectable levels. Cat flea allergens may contribute to the allergenicity of house dust in areas of heavy flea infestation.

Allergens↗

Vaccination against the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis felis.

Non-chemical control of haematophagous parasites is a desirable goal. We report here on the use of concealed antigens from the major digestive organ of the cat-flea as vaccine components. Rabbits were immunized with various antigens from cat flea midguts, and immunoglobulin from these rabbits was fed to cat fleas in an artificial feeding system. Antibody produced against soluble antigens from the midguts of fed fleas was able to kill fleas in this system. Dogs were then immunized with various antigen preparations, and challenged for a week with live fleas. Significantly fewer live fleas were recovered from dogs immunized with fed midgut supernatant, and recovered live female fleas produced significantly fewer eggs. This study indicates the possibility of vaccination as a means of control of flea, and possibly other blood sucking insect populations.

Animals↗

Detection of specific IgE antibodies towards cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) in patients with suspected cat allergy.

Cat flea sensitivity is considered one of the most important skin diseases in cats and dogs. Cat fleas, however, are also a growing allergen problem for humans. Cat flea-specific IgE antibodies were studied in serum samples from 70 patients with suspected cat allergy, using RAST-based techniques and the nitrocellulose immunoblotting method. Results from RAST studies, using cat and cat flea as allergosorbents, showed that 46% of the patients were RAST positive against both cat and cat flea. 9% of the patients were RAST positive only against the cat flea. The nitrocellulose immunoblotting experiments were in agreement with the RAST results showing specific IgE to cat flea. The results indicate that some cat-allergic patients have specific IgE both towards cat and cat flea but also that some of the patients with suspected cat allergy might have specific IgE towards the cat flea and not the cat. RAST-inhibition and immunoblotting experiments also indicate that the allergen composition of cat flea extract differs from that of cat extract, even if common allergens have been detected, leading to cross-reactivity in some sera.

Allergens↗