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PubMed1982

Effect of Ctenocephalides felis strongylus infestation on the performance of West African dwarf sheep and goats.

A study of Ctenocephalides felis strongylus and of its effect on the performance of sheep and goats was made. Fleas showed more affinity for sheep than goats. There was a high concentration between lamb and kid mortality and the degree of flea infestation. The clinical effects of flea infestation are highlighted. The factors responsible for flea infestation and its control are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Control of Oropsylla hirsuta, a plague vector, by treatment of prairie dog burrows with 0.5% permethrin dust.

Permethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, applied on two plots with a pressurized hand-held duster at mean rates of 2.3 and 4.0 g per burrow, was used to determine control levels for Oropsylla hirsuta fleas, a vector of bubonic plague, in black-tail prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus, burrows in northern Colorado during the summer of 1988. Burrows were sampled by "flagging" at day 0 and weeks 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 to determine the mean number of fleas per burrow and percentage of burrows with at least one flea. The 4.0 g per burrow rate was highly effective (P less than 0.001) in controlling fleas for a period of 3 mo, whereas the 2.3 g per burrow rate was not.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of permethrin-impregnated cotton balls as potential nesting material to control ectoparasites of woodrats in California.

The dusky-footed woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes Baird is a natural reservoir of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner, in California. To investigate the potential of host-targeted insecticide to control the tick vectors of B. burgdorferi, permethrin-impregnated or untreated cotton balls were distributed in metal cylinders as potential nesting material adjacent to 95 woodrat houses in chaparral-covered rangeland. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that adult woodrats would enter the cylinders and construct nests from permethrin-treated or untreated cotton. The residual concentration of permethrin did not vary significantly during an 11-mo period and remained > 60% of the registered insecticidal formulation (7.5% [AI] by cotton weight). The abundance of 4 species of ticks (Ixodes neotomae Cooley; the western blacklegged tick I. pacificus Cooley & Kohls; I. woodi Bishopp; and the Pacific Coast tick, Dermacentor occidentalis Marx) infesting woodrats was similar in the treatment and control areas. Although > 90% of the cotton disappeared from the metal cylinders in both areas, examination of 8 active woodrat houses revealed that small amounts of cotton had been incorporated into the nest cups of only 25%. In contrast, the abundance of the flea Orchopeas sexdentatus (Baker) decreased significantly in the treatment area only. Spirochetes were not detected in 168 adult O. sexdentatus fleas that had fed on spirochetemic woodrats, which demonstrates that this flea is an inefficient host of B. burgdorferi. We conclude that the use of permethrin-impregnated cotton as potential nesting material is ineffective for controlling ticks associated with the dusky-footed woodrat in brushlands, but this methodology may be useful for reducing populations of sylvatic fleas.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

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↗
PubMed1999

Mode of action of lufenuron in adult Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae).

When cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), were fed concentrations of lufenuron in cattle blood ranging from 0.5 to 4 ppm, adult mortality increased in a dose-dependent manner to a maximum of approximately 24% over a period of 10 d. Fleas treated with 0.5 ppm produced abnormal endocuticle consisting of protein globules embedded in an amorphous chitin matrix. At concentrations of 1.0 ppm or greater, endocuticle formation was inhibited. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated that inhibition of chitin synthesis was associated with degeneration of the epidermal cells. The amount of epidermal cytoplasm decreased and cytoplasmic organelles including mitochondria, ribosomes, and golgi showed lytic changes. At least some mortality of treated fleas was likely the result of a weakened endocuticle and the corresponding decrease in resiliency of the cuticle to expansion during blood-feeding and egg production. An unexpected result of lufenuron treatment was the inhibition of midgut epithelial cell differentiation. At concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0 ppm, partially differentiated epithelial cells were seen in the midgut of bloodfed fleas along with fully differentiated cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

The jumping mechanism of Xenopsylla cheopis. I. Exoskeletal structures and musculature.

The jumping apparatus of the flea, which includes highly modified direct and indirect flight muscles, is described: attention is drawn to the various specializations of the exoskeleton which stiffen the thorax and also provide the 'click' mechanism triggering take-off. A finger-like invagination of tall cells within the cavity of the developing pleural arch of the pharate adult secretes the resilin pad. This is illustrated with coloured photographs. It is suggested that winglessness of a Mecopteran-like ancestor pre-adapted fleas to a parasitic life-style, and that a jumping mode of progression was a primitive feature of the whole Order. Scattered throughout the Siphonaptera today are species which have secondarily lost the pleural arch and with it the power to execute large jumps. These are usually found among fleas parasitizing mammals inhabiting caves, subterranean burrows and runs, high aerial nests and snow or ice-bound habitats. Large pleural arches are associated with fleas infesting large mobile hosts.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Directed and undirected multiurn models in a one-dimensional ring.

The flea model by Ehrenfest describes the jumps of a fixed number of fleas between two dogs. In each time step a randomly selected flea jumps on the other dog. We study directed and undirected multiurn models in a one-dimensional ring. The introduced models represent generalizations of three recently proposed multiurn models which themselves are generalizations of Ehrenfest's model. The models are solved analytically. For the directed case we find oscillations of the average number of balls or fleas in a certain urn before the system reaches its equilibrium state. The discussed models may serve as basic models of dynamics of granular media in connected periodic compartment systems.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae, Toxoplasma gondii, FIV and FeLV infections in domestic cats in Japan.

Seroprevalence of Bartonella henselae, Toxoplasma gondii, feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infections was investigated in 1,447 domestic cats derived from the north (Hokkaido) to the south (Okinawa) prefectures in Japan. Of the cats investigated, 8.8% (128/1,447) were seropositive to B. henselae, 5.4% (78/1,447) to T. gondii, 9.8% (107/1,088) to FIV, and 2.9% (32/1,088) to FeLV, respectively. For B. henselae infection, the positive rate varied from 11.5% in cats of 1 to <2 years old to 7.2% in those over 3 years old. Outdoor cats showed higher positive rate (14.5%) than that (7.0%) in indoor ones. The rate (13.5%) in flea-infested cats was significantly higher than that (7.4%) in flea-negative cats. The positive rates in southern and urban sites were more likely to be higher than those in northern and suburban sites, suggesting that warm and humid environments, density of cat population, and raising status, including hygienic condition and flea infestation in cats may correlate to higher seroprevalence of B. henselae infection. For T. gondii, FIV and FeLV infections, the seroprevalence also tended to be higher in outdoor, flea-infested cats and advanced age groups. For FIV infection, the positive rates in male (14.3%) and outdoor cats (15.0%) were significantly higher than those in female (5.0%) and indoor cats (4.6%). On the other hand, no significant difference in seropositivities was observed in FeLV and T. gondii infections concerning to both genders and raising status.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The inadvertent introduction into Australia of Trypanosoma nabiasi, the trypanosome of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and its potential for biocontrol.

Wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Australia are the descendents of 24 animals from England released in 1859. We surveyed rabbits and rabbit fleas (Spilopsyllus cuniculi) in Australia for the presence of trypanosomes using parasitological and PCR-based methods. Trypanosomes were detected in blood from the European rabbits by microscopy, and PCR using trypanosome-specific small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene primers and those in rabbit fleas by PCR. This is the first record of trypanosomes from rabbits in Australia. We identified these Australian rabbit trypanosomes as Trypanosoma nabiasi, the trypanosome of the European rabbit, by comparison of morphology and SSU rRNA gene sequences of Australian and European rabbit trypanosomes. Phylogenetic analysis places T. nabiasi in a clade with rodent trypanosomes in the subgenus Herpetosoma and their common link appears to be transmission by fleas. Despite the strict host specificity of trypanosomes in this clade, phylogenies presented here suggest that they have not strictly cospeciated with their vertebrate hosts. We suggest that T. nabiasi was inadvertently introduced into Australia in the 1960s in its flea vector Spilopsyllus cuniculi, which was deliberately introduced as a potential vector of the myxoma virus. In view of the environmental and economic damage caused by rabbits in Australia and other islands, the development of a virulent or genetically modified T. nabiasi should be considered to control rabbits.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Papular urticaria in children.

Papular urticaria is a common pruritic hypersensitivity reaction to the bites of insects of many different types, including fleas, mosquitoes, chiggers, and, more rarely, avian or rodent mites. Which particular insect is the cause varies with geographic location. In San Francisco, children with papular urticaria due to flea bites are part of dermatologic practice year round. With its relatively warm winters and wet, foggy summers, San Francisco is an environment where fleas thrive, and their bites afflict children at day care centers and park playgrounds, as well as in homes with pets. We review the clinical approach to papular urticaria in general, and focus on flea bite prevention and management.

Child↗
PubMed1975

Reproduction, structure and host specificity of Trypanosoma (Herpetosoms) tamiasi sp. n. from the eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus.

Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) tamiasi sp. n. is described from blood and organs of the eastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus, and the least chipmunk, Eutamias minimus. In experimentally infected Tamias striatus and E. minimus, Trypanosoma tamiasi reproduced by equal binary fission in the trypo-, sphaero-, epi-, or amastigote form, mainly in lymphoid organs. Trypomastigotes developed from amastigotes through epimastigotes, or from sphaeromastigotes, mainly in the same organs. The mean lengths of body and flagellum of trypomastigotes increased linearly until the organisms reached a maximum length of similar to 37-39 mum. The distance between the nucleus and kinetoplast increased to a mean total length of similar to 33 mum, and thereafter remained constant. Parasitemias of up to 2.5 times 10-7 trypanosomes/ml were produced in Tamias striatus by inoculation with bloodstream, culture, or flea gut forms of Trypanosoma tamiasi; natural parasitemias in Tamias striatus peaked at up to 2.1 times 10-7 trypanosomes/ml. One E. minimus and 2 Spermophilus tridecemlineatus developed parasitemias of more than 1 times 10-6 trypanosomes/ml after inoculation of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma tamiasi; other experimentally inoculated rodents, including mice, rats, and Spermophilus richardsonii, proved refractory. In chipmunk fleas, Megabothris acerbus, Megabothris quirini, and Tamiophila grandis, bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma tamiasi developed to metacyclic forms in 4-9 days; in rat fleas, Xenopsylla cheopis and Nosopsyllus fasciatus, they survived with little development for up to 2 days, and in kissing bugs, Rhodnius prolixus, up to 10 days. Apparently, the speciation of this trypanosome involved adaptation to certain species of both fleas and rodents.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

PCR identification of Trypanosoma lewisi, a common parasite of laboratory rats.

Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) lewisi is a trypanosome of the sub-genus Herpetosoma (Stercoraria section), parasite of rats (Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus) transmitted by fleas. T. lewisi has a stringent species specificity and cannot grow in other rodents such as mice. Rats are infected principally by oral route, through contamination by flea faeces or ingestion of fleas. Trypanosoma lewisi infections in rat colonies can interfere with research protocols and fleas of wild rats are often the source of such infections. Currently, diagnosis of T. lewisi in rats is performed by microscopic observation of stained blood smears. In the course of a research project at CIRDES, a T. lewisi infection was detected in the rat colony. In this study we evaluated PCR primer sets for their ability to diagnose multiple species of trypanosomes with a single amplification. We show that the use of ITS1 sequence of ribosomal DNA provides an efficient and sensitive assay for detection and identification of T. lewisi infection in rats and recommend the use of this assay for monitoring of T. lewisi infections in rat colonies.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Bartonella infection in domestic cats and wild felids.

Bartonella are vector-borne, fastidious Gram-negative bacteria causing persistent bacteremia in their reservoir hosts. Felids represent a major reservoir for several Bartonella species. Domestic cats are the main reservoir of B. henselae, the agent of cat-scratch disease. Prevalence of infection is highest in warm and humid climates that are optimal for the survival of cat fleas, as fleas are essential for the transmission of the infection. Flea feces are the likely infectious substrate. Prevalence of B. henselae genotypes among cat populations varies worldwide. Genotype Houston I is more prevalent in the Far East and genotype Marseille is dominant in western Europe, Australia, and the western United States. Cats are usually asymptomatic, but uveitis, endocarditis, neurological signs, fever, necrotic lesions at the inoculation site, lymphadenopathy, and reproductive disorders have been reported in naturally or experimentally infected cats. Domestic cats are also the reservoir of B. clarridgeiae and co-infection has been demonstrated. B. koehlerae has been isolated from domestic cats, and was identified in cat fleas and associated with a human endocarditis case. B. bovis was isolated from a few cats in the United States and B. quintana DNA was recently identified in a cat tooth. Bartonella spp. have also been isolated from free-ranging and captive wild felids from North America and Africa. Whereas, B. henselae was identified in African lions and a cheetah, some strains specific to these wild cats have also been identified, leading to the concept of a B. henselae group including various subspecies, as previously described for B. vinsonii.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

The effect of air resistance on the jumping performance of insects.

A spring gun was constructed to propel objects at known velocities of between 1 and 4.5 m.s-1. This was used to project insects and various models in a vertical trajectory. By comparing the height attained in air by the insects or models with the height theoretically possible in vacuo, the energy lost against air resistance was observed. Small insects have a higher frontal area to mass ratio than larger ones so have relatively more aerodynamic drag and attain lower heights. The observed effect may be expressed in terms of the drag coefficient, CD. Fleas and locusts have CD of about 1. Winged flies have CD of about 1.5 which falls to about 1 when the wings are amputated and to about 0.8 when the legs are amputated. Aptery is advantageous in jumping insects. From experiments with models, it appears that the optimal condition for small jumping insects is that the body should be as compact as possible to reduce the frontal area to mass ratio. Thus dense spherical bodies are favoured. Some species of jumping insect have densities of about 1 mg.mm-3 while some flying beetles and flies have densities between 0.3 and 0.8 mg.mm-3. The Reynolds number at which the experiments were performed was from 65-205 for fleas up to 740-2340 for locusts. The models operated in similar ranges. At a velocity which would propel a larger animal to a height of 1 m, fleas weighing 0.4 mg only reach about 0.4 m. At lower initial velocities, proportionately less energy is wasted against air resistance so the jump efficiency is higher. Most fleas jump to a height of about 0.1 m with an efficiency of 0.8 while locusts jump to a height of 0.35 m with an efficiency of over 0.9. Air resistance is thus an important scale effect in jumping insects and provides its own design constraints.

Air↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Ectoparasites of rodents of the urban region of Belo Horizonte, MG. II. Variations of the infestation indices in Rattus norvegicus norvegicus].

The indices of infestation by the mites Echinolaelaps echidninus and Laelaps nuttalli, the louse Popyplax spinulosa and the flea Xenopsylla cheopis, obtained monthly, from June 1980 to September 1982, on Rattus norvegicus norvegicus in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais state, Brazil were related to seasonal period, sex of the host and area of capture. Mites and insects showed different behaviour in relation to these factors. Only the fleas and lice exhibit significant association between the rodents' infestation and the seasonal period, or between the infestation and the rodents' sex or else a variation of the distribution by the three main areas of capture. The fleas showed the highest indices of infestation in the warm-rainy season (October to March) while the infestation by the lice was more prevalent in the dry-cool season. The climatic factors most related with the hosts' infestation were, in decreasing order, rainfall, temperature and relative humidity. Fleas and lice preferentially infested male rodents, being infestation by X. cheopis highly significant.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Siphonaptera parasites of wild rodents and marsupials trapped in three mountain ranges of the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil.

A study of the associations between small mammals and fleas was undertaken in three areas of the Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil: Serra da Fartura, SP, Serra da Bocaina, SP, and Itatiaia, RJ. Trapping of small rodents and marsupials was done every 3 months during 2 years, from June 1999 to May 2001. A total 502 rodents (13 species) and 50 marsupials (7 species) were collected, and 185 hosts out of 552 (33.5%) captured in the traps were parasitized by 327 fleas belonging to 11 different species. New host records were determined for several flea species, and 5 significant associations between fleas and hosts were also found.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Therapy of tungiasis: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial with oral ivermectin.

Tungiasis is an ectoparasitosis causing considerable pathology in endemic areas. Standard therapy consists of removing the embedded parasite with a sterile needle. There is no effective chemotherapy at hand. To fill this gap, a double-blinded randomized controlled trial with oral ivermectin was conducted. A total of 54 individuals (27 in the placebo group, 27 in the ivermectin group) was followed up for seven days. They presented a total of 192 lesions. Patients received either ivermectin (300 microg/kg body weight at a single dose, repeated after 24 h) or placebo. Outcome measures included the clinical stage of lesion, presence of erythema, pain, itching, signs of viability of the parasite, and total lysis of flea. The ratio of fleas with total lysis per total number of fleas was slightly higher in the ivermectin group; however, this difference was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in any of the other outcome measures between the treatment and the placebo group. The results show that oral ivermectin is without any clinically significant efficacy against embedded sand fleas at the dose given.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Ectoparasites of gray squirrels in two different habitats and screening of selected ectoparasites for bartonellae.

Gray squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, were livetrapped in 2 different habitat types, woodland (67 squirrels) and parkland (53 squirrels), in southeastern Georgia. Ectoparasites were recovered from anesthetized squirrels and compared between hosts from the 2 habitats. Because of the absence of low vegetation in parkland habitats, it was hypothesized that the ectoparasite fauna, especially ticks and chiggers, would be more diverse on woodland squirrels. The results were generally in agreement with this hypothesis. Seventeen species of ectoparasites were recovered from woodland squirrels, compared with 6 species from parkland squirrels. Five species of ticks and 3 species of chiggers parasitized the woodland squirrels compared with no ticks or chiggers on the parkland squirrels. Significantly higher infestation prevalences were recorded on woodland compared with parkland squirrels for the flea Orchopeas howardi, the tick Amblyomma americanum, and the mesostigmatid mite Androlaelaps fahrenholzi. The mean intensity for O. howardi also was significantly higher on woodland than on parkland squirrels. Because a new strain of Bartonella sp. was isolated recently from S. carolinensis in Georgia, selected ectoparasites from this study were screened for bartonellae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Some of the fleas and lice, but none of the mites tested, were PCR positive, suggesting that fleas, or lice, or both, might be vectors of bartonellae between squirrels. Six distinct strains of Bartonella sp. were detected, 2 in fleas and 4 in lice.

Animals↗