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The American Journal of Tropical... Jan 2017Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis are flea-borne rickettsiae that are distributed throughout the world. This mini-review outlines the ecology and epidemiology of... (Review)
Review
Rickettsia typhi and Rickettsia felis are flea-borne rickettsiae that are distributed throughout the world. This mini-review outlines the ecology and epidemiology of flea-borne rickettsioses; highlights important clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations; and discusses areas of uncertainty regarding Rickettsia felis and other rickettsiae harbored by fleas.
Topics: Animals; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Humans; Rickettsia Infections; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 27799640
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0537 -
International Journal of Infectious... Aug 2010Flea-borne infections are emerging or re-emerging throughout the world, and their incidence is on the rise. Furthermore, their distribution and that of their vectors is... (Review)
Review
Flea-borne infections are emerging or re-emerging throughout the world, and their incidence is on the rise. Furthermore, their distribution and that of their vectors is shifting and expanding. This publication reviews general flea biology and the distribution of the flea-borne diseases of public health importance throughout the world, their principal flea vectors, and the extent of their public health burden. Such an overall review is necessary to understand the importance of this group of infections and the resources that must be allocated to their control by public health authorities to ensure their timely diagnosis and treatment.
Topics: Animals; Bartonella Infections; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Humans; Insect Vectors; Plague; Rickettsia Infections; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 20189862
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2009.11.011 -
Parasites & Vectors Nov 2017
Topics: Absorption, Physiological; Acaricides; Animals; Ctenocephalides; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Flea Infestations; Insecticides; Siphonaptera; Tick Infestations; Ticks
PubMed: 29089062
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2471-3 -
Veterinary Parasitology May 2016
Topics: Animals; Ectoparasitic Infestations; Isoxazoles; Siphonaptera; Tick Control; Ticks
PubMed: 26992661
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.02.033 -
Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases... Jan 2015Epidemiological studies worldwide have reported a high prevalence and a great diversity of Bartonella species, both in rodents and their flea parasites. The interaction... (Review)
Review
Epidemiological studies worldwide have reported a high prevalence and a great diversity of Bartonella species, both in rodents and their flea parasites. The interaction among Bartonella, wild rodents, and fleas reflects a high degree of adaptation among these organisms. Vertical and horizontal efficient Bartonella transmission pathways within flea communities and from fleas to rodents have been documented in competence studies, suggesting that fleas are key players in the transmission of Bartonella to rodents. Exploration of the ecological traits of rodents and their fleas may shed light on the mechanisms used by bartonellae to become established in these organisms. The present review explores the interrelations within the Bartonella-rodent-flea system. The role of the latter two components is emphasized.
Topics: Animals; Bartonella; Bartonella Infections; Disease Vectors; Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; Flea Infestations; Rodent Diseases; Rodentia; Siphonaptera; Zoonoses
PubMed: 25629778
DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2014.1606 -
Veterinaria Italiana Dec 2017Ectoparasitic insects play a major role in veterinary medicine. Fleas infest man and animals and are the most frequent external parasites of companion animals worldwide.... (Review)
Review
Ectoparasitic insects play a major role in veterinary medicine. Fleas infest man and animals and are the most frequent external parasites of companion animals worldwide. Some species are known to be vectors of zoonotic pathogens. Dogs and cats may play an important role either as reservoir of some of the pathogens or as transport vehicles for infected eas between their natural reservoirs and human beings, thus playing a crucial step in the transmission cycle of ea-borne diseases. This article reviews relevant literature on morphology, classi cation, host speci city, geographical distribution, and seasonality of eas infesting dogs and cats in order to improve their timely identi cation, prevention, and control.
Topics: Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Flea Infestations; Insect Vectors; Seasons; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 29307121
DOI: 10.12834/VetIt.109.303.3 -
Parasites & Vectors Jun 2023Hedgehogs are small synanthropic mammals that live in rural areas as well as in urban and suburban areas. They can be reservoirs of several microorganisms, including... (Review)
Review
Hedgehogs are small synanthropic mammals that live in rural areas as well as in urban and suburban areas. They can be reservoirs of several microorganisms, including certain pathogenic agents that cause human and animal public health issues. Hedgehogs are often parasitized by blood-sucking arthropods, mainly hard ticks and fleas, which in turn can also carry various vector-born microorganisms of zoonotic importance. Many biotic factors, such as urbanization and agricultural mechanization, have resulted in the destruction of the hedgehog's natural habitats, leading these animals to take refuge near human dwellings, seeking food and shelter in parks and gardens and exposing humans to zoonotic agents that can be transmitted either directly by them or indirectly by their ectoparasites. In this review, we focus on the microorganisms detected in arthropods sampled from hedgehogs worldwide. Several microorganisms have been reported in ticks collected from these animals, including various Borrelia spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., and Rickettsia spp. species as well as Coxiella burnetii and Leptospira spp. As for fleas, C. burnetii, Rickettsia spp., Wolbachia spp., Mycobacterium spp. and various Bartonella species have been reported. The detection of these microorganisms in arthropods does not necessarily mean that they can be transmitted to humans and animals. While the vector capacity and competence of fleas and ticks for some of these microorganisms has been proven, in other cases the microorganisms may have simply been ingested with blood taken from an infected host. Further investigations are needed to clarify this issue. As hedgehogs are protected animals, handling them is highly regulated, making it difficult to conduct epidemiological studies on them. Their ectoparasites represent a very interesting source of information on microorganisms circulating in populations of these animals, especially vector-born ones.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Arthropods; Hedgehogs; Rickettsia; Bartonella; Mammals; Siphonaptera; Ticks; Flea Infestations
PubMed: 37349802
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05764-7 -
Veterinary Research 2009In contrast to 15 or more validated and/or proposed tick-borne spotted fever group species, only three named medically important rickettsial species are associated with... (Review)
Review
In contrast to 15 or more validated and/or proposed tick-borne spotted fever group species, only three named medically important rickettsial species are associated with insects. These insect-borne rickettsiae are comprised of two highly pathogenic species, Rickettsia prowazekii (the agent of epidemic typhus) and R. typhi (the agent of murine typhus), as well as R. felis, a species with unconfirmed pathogenicity. Rickettsial association with obligate hematophagous insects such as the human body louse (R. prowazekii transmitted by Pediculus h. humanus) and several flea species (R. typhi and R. felis, as well as R. prowazekii in sylvatic form) provides rickettsiae the potential for further multiplications, longer transmission cycles and rapid spread among susceptible human populations. Both human body lice and fleas are intermittent feeders capable of multiple blood meals per generation, facilitating the efficient transmission of rickettsiae to several disparate hosts within urban/rural ecosystems. While taking into consideration the existing knowledge of rickettsial biology and genomic attributes, we have analyzed and summarized the interacting features that are unique to both the rickettsiae and their vector fleas and lice. Furthermore, factors that underlie rickettsial changing ecology, where native mammalian populations are involved in the maintenance of rickettsial cycle and transmission, are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Insect Vectors; Phthiraptera; Rickettsia; Rickettsia Infections; Siphonaptera
PubMed: 19036234
DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2008050 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2022All pathogenic organisms are exposed to abiotic influences such as the microclimates and chemical constituents of their environments. Even those pathogens that exist... (Review)
Review
All pathogenic organisms are exposed to abiotic influences such as the microclimates and chemical constituents of their environments. Even those pathogens that exist primarily within their hosts or vectors can be influenced directly or indirectly. Yersinia pestis, the flea-borne bacterium causing plague, is influenced by climate and its survival in soil suggests a potentially strong influence of soil chemistry. We summarize a series of controlled studies conducted over four decades in Russia by Dr. Evgeny Rotshild and his colleagues that investigated correlations between trace metals in soils, plants, and insects, and the detection of plague in free-ranging small mammals. Trace metal concentrations in plots where plague was detected were up to 20-fold higher or lower compared to associated control plots, and these differences were >2-fold in 22 of 38 comparisons. The results were statistically supported in eight studies involving seven host species in three families and two orders of small mammals. Plague tended to be positively associated with manganese and cobalt, and the plague association was negative for copper, zinc, and molybdenum. In additional studies, these investigators detected similar connections between pasturellosis and concentrations of some chemical elements. A One Health narrative should recognize that the chemistry of soil and water may facilitate or impede epidemics in humans and epizootics in non-human animals.
Topics: Animals; Climate; Humans; Mammals; Plague; Siphonaptera; Soil; Yersinia pestis
PubMed: 36011612
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19169979 -
Open Veterinary Journal 2021Fluralaner (Bravecto) is an isoxazoline class compound that is the only topically applied systemic ectoparasiticide approved for dosing at up to 12-week intervals for...
BACKGROUND
Fluralaner (Bravecto) is an isoxazoline class compound that is the only topically applied systemic ectoparasiticide approved for dosing at up to 12-week intervals for flea and tick control in cats.
AIM
To describe veterinarian recommendations for ectoparasiticide medications used in the UK and France along with veterinary recommendations previously reported from the US, as well as to assess cat owners' experience with a commercial transdermal spot-on fluralaner formulation administered to cats in the US and similarly describe the experiences of cat owners from the UK or France who administered fluralaner for feline flea and tick prevention.
METHODS
Clients of participating veterinary practices in the US, UK, or France who were visiting the clinic for a routine wellness visit, were currently treating their cat with fluralaner (Bravecto), and had purchased at least two doses were asked to complete a short two-page survey about their experience with flea and tick medications including fluralaner and other products they may have been administered.
RESULTS
Owners in the US (451 cats), UK (512 cats), and France (520 cats) completed surveys. Most cat owners (66%-75%) had previously administered other flea and tick products. More than 94% of cat owners surveyed in each country were satisfied or very satisfied with fluralaner. The most frequently reported benefit of using fluralaner was the 12-week dosing interval, selected by 76% of respondents in the US, 82% in the UK, and 70% in France. 79%-88% of cat owners (depending on the country) thought that dosing with extended duration fluralaner was more convenient than dosing with monthly flea and tick products and 86%-89% of cat owners that had used other flea and tick products preferred fluralaner over the other flea and tick products.
CONCLUSION
Veterinarians in the US, UK, and France recommended 12 months of flea protection and 9-11 months of tick protection per year, even though, in this study, cat owners usually purchased 1-3 months of protection per year. A longer flea and tick dosing interval, as seen with fluralaner, correlates with higher user satisfaction and preference among cat owners. Owners identified the 12-week dosing interval and single dose efficacy as the top reasons for selecting the fluralaner product for their cat. In all three countries, most cat owners indicated that they were more likely to deliver doses of extended duration fluralaner on time, compared to flea and tick products dosed monthly.
Topics: Animals; Cats; France; Isoxazoles; Personal Satisfaction; Siphonaptera; Ticks; United Kingdom
PubMed: 34722211
DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2021.v11.i3.19