Fleas on Roof Rats in Six Areas of Los Angeles County, California: Their Potential Role in the Transmission of Plague and Murine Typhus to Humans

Schwan, Tom G.; Thompson, D. C.; Nelson, Bernard C.

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1985.34.372

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Occasionally, it can transmit Dipylidium caninum (Linnaues, 1758) to man. Few fleas were also obtained from black rats captured in Panama, Florida, EUA (Durden et al, 2000), but a higher number of insects was collected from R. rattus in California -827 fleas belonging to 8 species, from 1,206 black rats (Schwan et al, 1985). The species of most concern flea was not found, Xenopsylla cheops, which can transmit Yersinia pestis (Lehmann;Neumann, 1896) and Rickettsia typhi (Wolbach and Todd 1920).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonosis associated to Rattus rattus and the impacts of the public actions to control the species

et al. 2016

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The occurrence of the black rat, Rattus rattus , in major Brazilian cities has increased in the recent years. To evaluate if the efforts of public rodent control have been reaching the species in the city of São Paulo, a survey was conducted in flooding areas using live trapping before and after implementation of the control program. Captures were carried out from 2009 to 2011, and animals were evaluated for their risk of zoonosis transmission. The number of R. rattus captured after control did not differ from the number of animals captured before the control program in the Spring/Summer season, but, in the Autumn/Winter season, effective control was observed. Low infestations of Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera) and Echinolaelaps echidninus (Acarina) were observed, and antibodies against Leptospira spp. were detected in just 1 of 65 serum samples. Ten out of 18 serum samples were sororeactive for Vaccinia virus, suggesting contact between R. rattus and the pathogen Calodium hepaticum (= Capillaria hepaticum ) (Nematoda) was found in the liver of 73.4% of captured R. rattus. In conclusion, R. rattus may not be effectively controlled by the rodent Control Program in the city of São Paulo, and represents a threat to human health, justifying permanent environmental management and educational programs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zoonosis associated to Rattus rattus and the impacts of the public actions to control the species

et al. 2016

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“…pestis between rodents but since they do not readily bite humans in a natural setting, are only accidental vectors of Y . pestis to humans exposed [38, 41, 102–103]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fleas (Siphonaptera) in Iran: Diversity, Host Range, and Medical Importance

et al. 2017

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BackgroundFlea-borne diseases have a wide distribution in the world. Studies on the identity, abundance, distribution and seasonality of the potential vectors of pathogenic agents (e.g. Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis, and Rickettsia felis) are necessary tools for controlling and preventing such diseases outbreaks. The improvements of diagnostic tools are partly responsible for an easier detection of otherwise unnoticed agents in the ectoparasitic fauna and as such a good taxonomical knowledge of the potential vectors is crucial. The aims of this study were to make an exhaustive inventory of the literature on the fleas (Siphonaptera) and range of associated hosts in Iran, present their known distribution, and discuss their medical importance.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe data were obtained by an extensive literature review related to medically significant fleas in Iran published before 31st August 2016. The flea-host specificity was then determined using a family and subfamily-oriented criteria to further realize and quantify the shared and exclusive vertebrate hosts of fleas among Iran fleas. The locations sampled and reported in the literature were primarily from human habitation, livestock farms, poultry, and rodents’ burrows of the 31 provinces of the country. The flea fauna were dominated by seven families, namely the Ceratophyllidae, Leptopsyllidae, Pulicidae, Ctenophthalmidae, Coptopsyllidae, Ischnopsyllidae and Vermipsyllidae. The hosts associated with Iran fleas ranged from the small and large mammals to the birds. Pulicidae were associated with 73% (56/77) of identified host species. Flea-host association analysis indicates that rodents are the common hosts of 5 flea families but some sampling bias results in the reduced number of bird host sampled. Analyses of flea-host relationships at the subfamily level showed that most vertebrates hosted fleas belgonging to 3 subfamilies namely Xenopsyllinae (n = 43), Ctenophthalminae (n = 20) and Amphipsyllinae (n = 17). Meriones persicus was infested by 11 flea subfamilies in the arid, rocky, mountainous regions and Xenopsyllinae were hosted by at least 43 mammal species. These findings place the Persian jird (M. persicus) and the Xenopsyllinae as the major vertebrate and vector hosts of flea-borne diseases in Iran including Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague. We found records of at least seven vector-borne pathogenic agents that can potentially be transmitted by the 117 flea species (or subspecies) of Iran.Conclusions/SignificanceHerein, we performed a thorough inventary of the flea species and their associated hosts, their medical importance and geographic distribution throughout Iran. This exercise allowed assessing the diversity of flea species with the potential flea-borne agents transmission risk in the country by arranging published data on flea-host associations. This information is a first step for issuing public health policies and rodent-flea control campaigns in Iran as well as those interested in the ecology/epidemiology of ...

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“…Urban rats often carry several species of fleas at once. (44,45) Though Xenopsylla cheopis, the Oriental rat flea (used in our parameterization), is the most efficient plague vector, any flea capable of piercing skin can transmit Y. pestis, albeit less efficiently. (34,46,47) This parameterization makes our model predictions conservative, representing a worst-case scenario.…”

Section: Model Limitations Assumptions Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threshold Conditions for the Persistence of Plague Transmission in Urban Rats

Durham

Casman

2009

Risk Analysis

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In this article we derive a mathematical expression characterizing the tendency for Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, to become established in an urban rat population upon introduction, and evaluate this risk for several cities. The expression gives a threshold condition for the persistence of Y. pestis transmission in terms of measurable attributes of a local urban rat population: the average flea density and the rat colony size. If the local rat and flea populations exceed this threshold, plague circulation is predicted to continue; if not, it will burn out of its own accord. This expression may be used to evaluate both the vulnerability of a specific neighborhood and the effect of pest control strategies upon that vulnerability.

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Fleas on Roof Rats in Six Areas of Los Angeles County, California: Their Potential Role in the Transmission of Plague and Murine Typhus to Humans

Cited by 22 publications

References 0 publications

Zoonosis associated to Rattus rattus and the impacts of the public actions to control the species

Zoonosis associated to Rattus rattus and the impacts of the public actions to control the species

The Fleas (Siphonaptera) in Iran: Diversity, Host Range, and Medical Importance

Threshold Conditions for the Persistence of Plague Transmission in Urban Rats

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