Species of the genus xenopsylla (siphonaptera; pulicidae) as vectors of plague infection in its natural foci

Abstract

In the review, the peculiarities of distribution, host-parasite relations, and significance as vectors of plague of the fleas of the genus Xenopsylla (Pulicidae) are analyzed. Spatial distribution of plague foci all over the world and the role of this genus fleas in circulation of the plague pathogen in various regions of the planet are considered. It is shown that out of at least 255 existing natural foci of plague around the world in which the circulation of the pathogen occurs independently of the other foci, in 114 foci the only main vectors or members of the main vector pool are the fleas of the genus Xenopsylla . Among 21 flea species of this genus found naturally infected with the plague microbe in nature, 17 species are considered as main vectors of this pathogen in a given number of foci; in Africa and Southeast Asia, the role of the flea X. cheopis is the most significant.