Prevalence of Yersinia pestis in rodents and fleas associated with black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) at Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming

Rodents (and their fleas) that are associated with prairie dogs are considered important for the maintenance and transmission of the bacterium (Yersinia pestis) that causes plague. Our goal was to identify rodent and flea species that were potentially involved in a plague epizootic in black-tailed prairie dogs at Thunder Basin National Grassland. We collected blood samples and ectoparasites from rodents trapped at off- and on-colony grids at Thunder Basin National Grassland between 2002 and 2004. Blood samples were tested for antibodies to Y. pestis F-1 antigen by a passive hemagglutination assay, and fleas were tested by a multiplex polymerase chain reaction, for the presence of the plague bacterium. Only one of 1,421 fleas, an Oropsylla hirsuta collected in 2002 from a deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, tested positive for Y. pestis. Blood samples collected in summer 2004 from two northern grasshopper mice, Onychomys leucogaster, tested positive for Y. pestis antibodies. All three positive samples were collected from on-colony grids shortly after a plague epizootic occurred. This study confirms that plague is difficult to detect in rodents and fleas associated with prairie dog colonies, unless samples are collected immediately after a prairie dog die-off.     

准噶尔盆地荒漠景观不同地貌类型鼠、蚤多样性及分布特征

为揭示鼠、蚤空间分布特征与变化规律,本研究以准噶尔盆地鼠疫自然疫源地为靶区,基于鼠类和蚤类的样点采集数据,计算不同地貌的鼠、蚤生态学指标并分析其相关性。基于不同行政区生态学指标计算结果,借助Moran′s I指数、重心模型、标准差椭圆等分析方法探究不同行政区鼠、蚤生态学指标的聚类特征,开展鼠、蚤的空间分布特征及变化规律的相关研究。结果表明：(1)通过对不同地貌鼠、蚤生态指标的研究,可得出鼠、蚤的物种多样性和生态优势度呈负相关,表明在物种多样性较高的群落中,鼠、蚤生态优势度表现不明显。鼠类物种多样性较高的地貌类型与蚤类物种多样性呈正相关,证实鼠类(宿主)物种数量增加,蚤类(寄生)物种的数量也在增加。低海拔地区鼠、蚤群落的相似性总体上大于中海拔地区群落相似性,且相似性系数q值与Cody指数呈相反变化趋势;(2)不同鼠、蚤指标单变量Moran′s I指数表明,鼠类数量、子午沙鼠数量、蚤类均匀度的全局Moran′s I指数大于0,且P值小于0.05,表现出空间集聚现象。单变量局部空间自相关分析结果表明,部分鼠、蚤指标存在多种聚类模式,其中最为典型的聚类模式是高—高聚类模式。不同鼠、蚤指标双变量...     

Geographic variation in rodent-flea relationships in the presence of black-tailed prairie dog colonies

We characterized the relationship between fleas and their rodent hosts in the presence of prairie dog colonies and compared them to adjacent assemblages away from colonies. We evaluated the rodent-flea relationship by quantifying prevalence, probability of infestation, flea load, and intensity of fleas on rodents. As prairie dog burrows provide refugia for fleas, we hypothesized that prevalence, flea load, and intensity would be higher for rodents that are associated with black-tailed prairie dog colonies. Rodents were trapped at off- and on-colony grids, resulting in the collection of 4,509 fleas from 1,430 rodents in six study areas. The rodent community composition varied between these study areas. Flea species richness was not different between prairie dog colonies and the surrounding grasslands (p = 0.883) but was positively correlated with rodent species richness (p = 0.055). Prairie dog colonies did not increase the prevalence of fleas (p > 0.10). Flea loads on rodents did not vary between off- and on-colony grids at three of the study areas (p > 0.10). Based on the prevalence, infestation rates, and flea loads, we identified Peromyscus maniculatus, Onychomys leucogaster, and two Neotoma species as important rodent hosts for fleas and Aetheca wagneri, Orchopeus leucopus, Peromyscopsylla hesperomys, Pleochaetis exilis, and Thrassisfotus as the most important fleas associated with these rodents. Prairie dog colonies did not seem to facilitate transmission of fleas between rodent hosts, and the few rodent-flea associations exhibited significant differences between off- and on-colony grids.     

云南省玉龙鼠疫疫源地野外鼠形动物寄生蚤丰盛度影响因素分析

【目的】分析云南省玉龙鼠疫疫源地野外鼠形动物寄生蚤丰盛度的影响因素。【方法】选取云南省玉龙鼠疫疫源地3个海拔区域,按4个季节进行野外捕鼠,捕获的鼠形动物用梳检法收集体表寄生蚤并在显微镜下分类鉴定。通过实际测量和实地观察相结合的方式收集潜在影响鼠形动物寄生蚤丰盛度的因素包括鼠形动物特征变量指标(如种类、年龄、性别、体长、体重)、环境和气象因子(如海拔、季节)等数据。采用EpiData 3.02软件建立数据库,在R软件下使用跨栏负二项分布回归分析鼠形动物寄生蚤丰盛度的影响因素。【结果】从捕获的884只鼠形动物中检获寄生蚤9种484头,以特新蚤指名亚种、方叶栉眼蚤、无值大锥蚤、云南栉眼蚤为主(86.16%)。回归分析显示： 2 700-3 000 m和3 000 m以上海拔鼠形动物染蚤概率较2 400-2 700 m分别增加1.27和3.72倍;湿度高于70%时,鼠形动物染蚤概率较湿度≤70%时减少41%;与齐氏姬鼠的染蚤概率相比,中华姬鼠的染蚤概率降低50%,大绒鼠的染蚤概率增加79%;体长超过104 mm的鼠形动物染蚤概率较体长≤104 mm的鼠形动物染蚤概率增加76%;气温高于15℃时,鼠形动物染蚤数量较温度≤15℃时降低67%;成年鼠形动物的染蚤数量较未成年鼠形动物的染蚤数量增加2.25倍;与春季相比,夏季的染蚤数量增加2.00倍,秋季的染蚤概率减少48%,冬季的染蚤概率和染蚤数量分别增加1.44和1.06倍。【结论】玉龙鼠疫疫源地野外鼠形动物寄生蚤以特新蚤指名亚种、方叶栉眼蚤、无值大锥蚤、云南栉眼蚤为优势蚤种。鼠形动物寄生蚤丰盛度与海拔、季节、气温、湿度等环境气象因子及鼠形动物种类、体长、年龄等鼠形动物特征变量密切相关。     

Field efficacy of deltamethrin for rodent flea control in San Bernardino County, California, USA.

A study was conducted to determine the initial and residual activity of deltamethrin (0.05% dust) applied to rodent burrows (at approximately 14 g/burrow) against fleas in the Silverwood Lake area of San Bernardino County. In initial toxicity (2-d post-treatment), deltamethrin provided 97% flea control and in residual toxicity it resulted in 68% control of the rodent fleas at 15-d post-treatment. The flea fauna consisted of Oropsylla montana (89.9%) and Hoplopsylls anomalus (10.1%). All rodents captured in this study were California ground squirrels, Spermophilus beecheyi. In mark-release-recapture trials, using the microchip identification implant method at the treatment site, the recapture rate of rodents was 29% from 2- to 58-d post-treatment, declining to 21% after 98 d. In the tail-clip method at the treatment site, the recapture rate of 40% at 15-d post-treatment rose to 87% and 73% at 56- and 58-d post-treatment, respectively. At the control site, the recapture rate of 100% at 15-d post-post-treatment dropped to 20% after 98 d. In another trial at Camp Cedar Crest in the Running Springs area, deltamethrin applied to rodent burrows resulted in 70% control of fleas infesting S. beecheyi. Based on the two trials, deltamethrin showed a good initial control of rodent fleas in enzootic or epizootic plague control.     

Modeling plague persistence in host-vector communities in California

Plague is an enzootic disease in the western United States, even though long-term persistent infections do not seem to occur. Enzootic persistence may occur as a function of dynamic interactions between flea vectors and transiently infected hosts, but the specific levels of vector competence, host competence, and transmission and recovery rates that would promote persistence and emergence among wild hosts and vectors are not known. We developed a mathematical model of enzootic plague in the western United States and implemented the model with the following objectives: 1) to use matrix manipulation within a classic susceptible-->infective-->resistant-->susceptible (SIRS) model framework to describe transmission of the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis among rodents and fleas in California, 2) to perform sensitivity analysis with model parameters and variables to indicate which values tended to dominate model output, and 3) to determine whether enzootic maintenance would be predicted with realistic parameter values obtained from the literature for Y. pestis in California rodents and fleas. The model PlagueSIRS was implemented in discrete time as a computer simulation incorporating environmental stochasticity and seasonality, by using matrix functions in the computer language R, allowing any number of rodent and flea species to interact through parasitism and disease transmission. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the model was sensitive to flea attack rate, host recovery rate, and rodent host carrying capacity but relatively insensitive to changes in the duration of latent infection in the flea, host and vector competence, flea recovery from infection, and host mortality attributable to plague. Realistic parameters and variable values did allow for the model to predict enzootic plague in some combinations, specifically when rodent species that were susceptible to infection but resistant to morbidity were parasitized by multiple poorly competent flea species, including some that were present year-round. This model could be extended to similar vectorborne disease systems and could be used iteratively with data collection in sylvatic plague studies to better understand plague persistence and emergence in nature.     

A plague epizootic in the white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) of Meeteetse, Wyoming

Surveillance for sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis) was conducted near Meeteetse, Wyoming (USA) from 24 May to 14 June 1985. Ten species of fleas were collected from white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus), and from their burrows and associated rodents. Five of these flea species and two adult prairie dogs were positive for plague. The progression of this plague epizootic appeared to be slower and the intensity was less than in previous epizootics in other prairie dog colonies. The plague epizootic occurred within the only known colony of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) and was a potential threat to the food source of this endangered species.     

Fleas of Small Mammals on Reunion Island: Diversity,Distribution and Epidemiological Consequences

The diversity and geographical distribution of fleas parasitizing small mammals have been poorly investigated on Indian Ocean islands with the exception of Madagascar where endemic plague has stimulated extensive research on these arthropod vectors. In the context of an emerging flea-borne murine typhus outbreak that occurred recently in Reunion Island, we explored fleas'' diversity, distribution and host specificity on Reunion Island. Small mammal hosts belonging to five introduced species were trapped from November 2012 to November 2013 along two altitudinal transects, one on the windward eastern and one on the leeward western sides of the island. A total of 960 animals were trapped, and 286 fleas were morphologically and molecularly identified. Four species were reported: (i) two cosmopolitan Xenopsylla species which appeared by far as the prominent species, X. cheopis and X. brasiliensis; (ii) fewer fleas belonging to Echidnophaga gallinacea and Leptopsylla segnis. Rattus rattus was found to be the most abundant host species in our sample, and also the most parasitized host, predominantly by X. cheopis. A marked decrease in flea abundance was observed during the cool-dry season, which indicates seasonal fluctuation in infestation. Importantly, our data reveal that flea abundance was strongly biased on the island, with 81% of all collected fleas coming from the western dry side and no Xenopsylla flea collected on almost four hundred rodents trapped along the windward humid eastern side. The possible consequences of this sharp spatio-temporal pattern are discussed in terms of flea-borne disease risks in Reunion Island, particularly with regard to plague and the currently emerging murine typhus outbreak.     

Evidence of multiple zoonotic agents in a wild rodent community in the eastern Sierra Nevada

This study aimed to describe the occurrence of Yersinia pestis, Rickettsia rickettsii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and ectoparasites in a wild rodent community in the eastern Sierra Nevada. From May to September 2006, rodents were live-trapped, examined for ectoparasites, and blood was collected. All rodents were serologically tested for antibodies to Y. pestis, R. rickettsii, and A. phagocytophilum; in addition, blood samples and ectoparasites were tested by PCR to detect the presence of these zoonotic agents. Overall, 89 rodents, 46 fleas, and four ticks were collected. Antibody prevalence rates observed for rodents were 14% for R. rickettsii or antigenically related spotted-fever group rickettsiae, and 8% for A. phagocytophilum. No samples were positive for antibodies to Y. pestis. Positive PCR results included one yellow-pine chipmunk for Y. pestis (CT=32.8), one golden-mantled ground squirrel for R. rickettsii (CT=33), and one flea found to be co-infected with both R. rickettsii (CT=17) and A. phagocytophilum (CT=36). The results of this study provide evidence of multiple zoonoses overlapping within a single, located rodent community.     

Flea-Associated Bacterial Communities across an Environmental Transect in a Plague-Endemic Region of Uganda

The vast majority of human plague cases currently occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The primary route of transmission of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is via flea bites. Non-pathogenic flea-associated bacteria may interact with Y. pestis within fleas and it is important to understand what factors govern flea-associated bacterial assemblages. Six species of fleas were collected from nine rodent species from ten Ugandan villages between October 2010 and March 2011. A total of 660,345 16S rRNA gene DNA sequences were used to characterize bacterial communities of 332 individual fleas. The DNA sequences were binned into 421 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) based on 97% sequence similarity. We used beta diversity metrics to assess the effects of flea species, flea sex, rodent host species, site (i.e. village), collection date, elevation, mean annual precipitation, average monthly precipitation, and average monthly temperature on bacterial community structure. Flea species had the greatest effect on bacterial community structure with each flea species harboring unique bacterial lineages. The site (i.e. village), rodent host, flea sex, elevation, precipitation, and temperature also significantly affected bacterial community composition. Some bacterial lineages were widespread among flea species (e.g. Bartonella spp. and Wolbachia spp.), but each flea species also harbored unique bacterial lineages. Some of these lineages are not closely related to known bacterial diversity and likely represent newly discovered lineages of insect symbionts. Our finding that flea species has the greatest effect on bacterial community composition may help future investigations between Yersinia pestis and non-pathogenic flea-associated bacteria. Characterizing bacterial communities of fleas during a plague epizootic event in the future would be helpful.     

Host range and distribution of small mammal fleas in South Africa,with a focus on species of medical and veterinary importance

The host range and distribution of flea species on rodents and insectivores across multiple vegetation types in South Africa were investigated. Habitat suitability for flea species considered as important vectors of disease in humans and domestic animals was modelled. Data originated from fleas that were recovered from small mammals captured at 29 localities during 2009–2013 and published literature searched for flea records. Climate‐based predictor variables, widely used in arthropod vector distribution, were selected and habitat suitability modelled for 10 flea vector species. A total of 2469 flea individuals representing 33 species and subspecies were collected from 1185 small mammals. Ten of each of the flea and rodent species are plague vectors and reservoirs, respectively. Multiple novel flea–host associations and locality records were noted. Three vector species were recorded from insectivores. Geographic distributions of flea species ranged from broad, across‐biome distributions to narrower distributions within one or two biomes. Habitat suitability models performed excellently for the majority of flea vectors and identified regions of summer and all‐year rainfall as representing suitable habitats for most vector species. Current knowledge of vector and disease ecology can benefit from similar sampling approaches that will be important not only for South Africa, but also for the sub‐region.     

Local factors associated with on‐host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies

Outbreaks of plague, a flea‐vectored bacterial disease, occur periodically in prairie dog populations in the western United States. In order to understand the conditions that are conducive to plague outbreaks and potentially predict spatial and temporal variations in risk, it is important to understand the factors associated with flea abundance and distribution that may lead to plague outbreaks. We collected and identified 20,041 fleas from 6,542 individual prairie dogs of four different species over a 4‐year period along a latitudinal gradient from Texas to Montana. We assessed local climate and other factors associated with flea prevalence and abundance, as well as the incidence of plague outbreaks. Oropsylla hirsuta, a prairie dog specialist flea, and Pulex simulans, a generalist flea species, were the most common fleas found on our pairs. High elevation pairs in Wyoming and Utah had distinct flea communities compared with the rest of the study pairs. The incidence of prairie dogs with Yersinia pestis detections in fleas was low (n = 64 prairie dogs with positive fleas out of 5,024 samples from 4,218 individual prairie dogs). The results of our regression models indicate that many factors are associated with the presence of fleas. In general, flea abundance (number of fleas on hosts) is higher during plague outbreaks, lower when prairie dogs are more abundant, and reaches peak levels when climate and weather variables are at intermediate levels. Changing climate conditions will likely affect aspects of both flea and host communities, including population densities and species composition, which may lead to changes in plague dynamics. Our results support the hypothesis that local conditions, including host, vector, and environmental factors, influence the likelihood of plague outbreaks, and that predicting changes to plague dynamics under climate change scenarios will have to consider both host and vector responses to local factors.     

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

Abstract. 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 (Yagubynts) 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.     

云南居民区鼠类体外寄生蚤物种多样性调查

【目的】了解云南居民区鼠类寄生蚤的群落结构和空间分布特征。【方法】根据云南不同经纬度、 海拔等自然环境条件, 于2007年4月-2012年11月, 选取云南17个县(市) 居民区作为样区, 系统开展鼠类体外寄生蚤的调查, 运用群落结构指标对居民区鼠类寄生蚤的群落特征和沿环境梯度的空间分布进行研究。【结果】结果显示： 在调查的17个县(市)室内共检获鼠类体外寄生蚤521头, 隶属4科7亚科9属12种。居民区寄生蚤的纬度和垂直分布类似, 低纬度和低海拔范围的种类相对较少, 印鼠客蚤和缓慢细蚤是室内寄生蚤的优势种。相对纬度和海拔较高的区域, 居民区寄生蚤种类增多, 但优势种不突出; 在经度水平分布上, 蚤种类于99°~101°E经度带形成一个高峰, 室内寄生的优势种印鼠客蚤和缓慢细蚤几乎在所有经度带都可见到分布, 显示了较宽的生态幅。另外, 居民区寄生蚤物种丰富度和多样性指数水平分布（纬度）和垂直分布呈现为单峰格局, 总体显示随着纬度和海拔的升高, 先升高后降低的分布特征, 而在另一个水平分布（经度）, 则呈现由西向东呈递减的趋势。【结论】研究认为, 云南居民区蚤类的空间分布表现为独特的地理区域特征, 气候环境、 森林植被和人类生活生产方式通过影响蚤类栖息生境来影响蚤类的分布。     

Distribution and insecticide resistance of the plague flea Xenopsylla cheopis in Maharashtra State, India

Distributions are reported for commensal rat fleas, predominantly Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild), in the State of Maharashtra, India, including the city of Bombay, during 1965-80. The X.cheopis flea index was high in most parts of Maharashtra, but low in Bombay. Rattus rattus Linnaeus is the principal host of X.cheopis, but the host range includes Bandicota bengalensis Gray, Golunda ellioti Gray, Mus musculus Linnaeus, Rattus blandfordi Thomas, R. norvegicus Berkenhout, Suncus caerulaeus Lerr, S. murinus Linnaeus and Tatera indica Hardwicke. X.cheopis was found to have high degrees of resistance to DDT, malathion and fenthion, tolerance to gamma HCH (= gamma BCH) but susceptibility to dieldrin. This insecticide resistance situation may contribute to the high flea indices prevailing in the state, with consequent risks of plague outbreaks. Two other species of rat flea, X.astia Rothschild and X.brasiliensis (Baker) were found to be less common than previously recorded. Their apparent replacement by X.cheopis is tentatively attributed, at least partly, to the selective advantage of insecticide resistance in the latter species.     

Benefits, Costs and Constraints of Anti-Parasitic Grooming in Adult and Juvenile Rodents

Grooming behaviour plays various roles in the health care, reproduction, and social life of an individual vertebrate. However, the reasons for the variability in time spent grooming amongst species, populations and individuals are not fully understood. We tested the hypothesis that the main role of grooming is ectoparasite removal and thus that time spent grooming by an animal reflects the costs of parasite infestation offset against the costs of grooming. The test was conducted on a rodent, Meriones crassus, that is parasitised by a flea, Xenopsylla conformis. We monitored behaviour of juvenile and adult rodents before and after flea infestation and quantified the probability of mortality of fleas with respect to the time spent grooming in adults compared with juvenile rodents. We predicted that: (1) increased costs of flea infestation (e.g. in parasitised as opposed to flea‐free rodents and in juveniles as opposed to adults) increases time spent grooming and (2) mortality probability per flea increases with increasing time spent grooming and is higher for fleas on juveniles than for fleas on adult rodents. We were interested to discover at the expense of which activity grooming is increased. Our findings established that the major role of grooming is in flea removal, as exposure to fleas evoked grooming activity in all rodents and grooming activity explained 57–70% of the variation in flea mortality. Furthermore, we showed that the rise in grooming activity was at the expense of resting. However, we found only partial support for the predicted increase in grooming time with increasing costs of flea infestation. Flea infestation did indeed increase the time spent grooming by rodents. Nevertheless, juvenile rodents who incur higher costs of flea infestation spent less time grooming than adults and sustained similar flea densities, suggesting that these hosts are constrained by some other factors, such as feeding time.     

Plague studies in California: a review of long‐term disease activity,flea‐host relationships and plague ecology in the coniferous forests of the Southern Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada mountains

We review 28 years of long‐term surveillance (1970–1997) for plague activity among wild rodents from ten locations within three coniferous forest habitat types in the northern Sierra Nevada and the Southern Cascade mountains of northeastern California. We identify rodent hosts and their fleas and document long‐term plague activity in each habitat type. The highest seroprevalence for Yersinia pestis occurred in the chipmunks, Tamias senex and T. quadrimaculatus, and the pine squirrel, Tamiasciurus douglasii. The most commonly infected fleas were Ceratophyllus ciliatus and Eumolpianus eumolpi from chipmunks and Oropsylla montana and O. idahoensis from ground squirrels. Serological surveillance demonstrated that populations of T. senex, T. quadrimaculatus and T. douglasii are moderately resistant to plague, survive infection, and are, therefore, good sentinels for plague activity. Recaptured T. senex and T. quadrimaculatus showed persistence of plague antibodies and evidence of re‐infection over a two year period. These rodent species, their fleas, and the ecological factors common to the coniferous forest habitats likely promote the maintenance of plague foci in northeastern California.     

Possible vector dissemination by swift foxes following a plague epizootic in black-tailed prairie dogs in northwestern Texas

To determine whether swift foxes (Vulpes velox) could facilitate transmission of Yersinia pestis to uninfected black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies by acquiring infected fleas, ectoparasite and serologic samples were collected from swift foxes living adjacent to prairie dog towns during a 2004 plague epizootic in northwestern Texas, USA. A previous study (1999-2001) indicated that these swift foxes were infested almost exclusively with the flea Pulex irritans. Black-tailed prairie dogs examined from the study area harbored only Pulex simulans and Oropsylla hirsuta. Although P. irritans was most common, P. simulans and O. hirsuta were collected from six swift foxes and a single coyote (Canis latrans) following the plague epizootic. Thus, both of these canids could act as transport hosts (at least temporarily) of prairie dog fleas following the loss of their normal hosts during a plague die-off. All six adult swift foxes tested positive for antibodies to Y. pestis. All 107 fleas from swift foxes tested negative for Y. pestis by mouse inoculation. Although swift foxes could potentially carry Y. pestis to un-infected prairie dog colonies, we believe they play only a minor role in plague epidemiology, considering that they harbored just a few uninfected prairie dog fleas (P. simulans and O. hirsuta).     

Host location,survival and fecundity of the Oriental rat flea Xenopsylla cheopis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in relation to black rat Rattus rattus (Rodentia: Muridae) host age and sex

Host choice and fecundity are two factors that may contribute to the variation in flea counts observed when assessing the potential risk of flea-borne transmission of pathogens from rodents to humans. Using the black rat, Rattus rattus Linnaeus, as host the effects of age and sex on host choice and fecundity of the Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis Rothschild, were examined experimentally at 25 degrees C and 80% rh. During the first two days of emergence from cocoons, female fleas dominated the sex ratio by 4:1 but from the third day onwards this switched to a male-dominated sex ratio of 4:1. The sex of the flea did not influence their host-seeking behaviour. Newly emerged fleas of both sexes were not influenced by the rat's presence and at seven days old both sexes demonstrated similar levels of attraction toward the rat host. The sex of the rat did not affect flea host-seeking behaviour. There was a 50-70% decline in the initial number of adult fleas during the first week after their release onto a rat host, and this decline was greatest on juvenile rats. Flea fecundity was also significantly lower on juvenile rat hosts but no differences due to the sex of the rat were observed. This experimental study supports the hypothesis that differences in flea count due to host sex, reported in field surveys, result from sexual differences in host behaviour and not from discriminatory host-seeking behaviour by X. cheopis. Differences in flea count due to host age may be affected by differences in X. cheopis fecundity, which may itself be mediated by host behaviour such as grooming.     

Fleas of the eastern Kyzyl Kum and their epizootic significance]

The fauna of fleas in the East Kisil-Kum includes 24 species. Different physicogeographic regions of sands are characterized by different spectra and number of species of fleas. The greatest share in collections is composed by Xenopsylla gerbilli caspica--the parasite of Rhombomys opimus. In autumn the other parasite of this rodent, Coptopsylla lamellifer, is a mass species. All the most significant and long changes in the number of these species are associated with changes in the density of their hosts' population. The most significant in epizootic respect is the flea X. gerbilli caspica from which about 50% of plague agent cultures were isolated.