Abstract
<i>Rickettsia felis</i>in Fleas, Southern Ethiopia, 2010
Highlights
To the Editor: Fleas are obligate hematophagous insects
To confirm the phenotypic identification, we designed primers and probes for quantitative real-time PCR that were specific for 2 species of flea (P. irritans and C. felis) based on the sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene published in GenBank (Table)
We found that most (52/55) of the fleas collected in human dwellings were P. irritans, and 3 specimens were C. felis
Summary
To the Editor: Fleas (order Siphonaptera) are obligate hematophagous insects. They are laterally flattened, holometabolous, and wingless ectoparasites. A minority of these genera live in close association with humans (synanthropic), including fleas of these species: Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides canis, Xenopsylla cheopis, Nosopsyllus fasciatus, Echidnophaga gallinacea, and Tunga penetrans [1]. Ctenocephalides spp. fleas are of special interest as main reservoirs and vectors of R. felis, because this agent causes an emerging disease, fleaborne rickettsiosis. The distribution and prevalence of this disease have not been well studied.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
