HOST‐SPECIFICITY AND HOST‐SELECTION OF FLEAS IN FOCI OF HUMAN PLAGUE IN YUNNAN CHINA*

Abstract

Abstract The host‐specificity and the host‐selection of 11 species of fleas collected from 47 species of small mammals in foci of human plague in Yunnan, China, were studied by using methods in the evaluation of ecological niche breadth and overlap. Levins' niche breadth was used for the host‐specificity. while clip angle niche overlap and a fuzzy clustering analysis were used for host‐selection. Of the 11 species of fleas, the host‐specificity of Nosopsyllus elongatus puerensis and Xenopsylla cheopis are the highest (narrow niche breadth), and those of Aviostivalis klossi bispiniformis and Neopsylla stevensi sichuanyunnana the lowest (wide niche breadth). Of 11 species of fleas, the dominant host of X. cheopis (a very high effective vector of plague in the foci of human plague in Yunnan Province. China) is Rattw flavipectus (the main animal host and infectious source of plague in the foci). A high host‐specificity of X. cheopis implies that X. cheopis mainly maintains or transmits the pathogen of plague among the individuals of its dominant species of host, R. flavipectus. The result of niche overlap analysis reveals that Ctenophthalrnus In‐evipre jiciens and Ctenophthaltnus parcus have a similar host‐selection while other species of fleas are quite different in their host selection.