Flea Bites Research Articles

Assessing the effectiveness of intervention to prevent plague through community and animal-based survey.

Bubonic plague, transmitted by infected flea bites, is the most common form of plague and, left untreated, can progress to the pneumonic form, which is highly contagious. Surveillance focusing on reservoir and vector is considered to be the main approach to prevent plague. Common rodent control methods include the use of rodenticide and snap traps but, in a plague context, the dispersal of fleas from killed animals may pose a serious health threat. Therefore, there is a need for strategies which address reservoir and vector control. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of combination of reservoir and vector control through community-based surveillance. Activities were implemented by local previously trained community agents in two active plague foci in Madagascar. Kartman bait stations containing rodenticide and insecticide were placed indoors while live traps were set outdoors. Small mammals were identified and killed with their fleas. Effectiveness of control measures was evaluated by comparison of plague incidence two years before and after intervention using data on reported human cases of plague from the Central Laboratory of Plague. A total of 4,302 small mammals were captured, with the predominance of the black rat Rattus rattus. Our results found a reduction in plague incidence in the treated site for at least two years after treatment. Community-based interventions played an important role in reducing contact between humans-rodents-fleas. Our study confirms the importance of animal surveillance during the low plague transmission season. The combination of reservoir and vector control with community involvement may be effective at reducing the risks of plague spillover to humans. The strategy of using Kartman bait stations indoors with live traps outdoors can be used to refine proactive plague prevention, however, due to the potential development of resistance to pesticides in flea and rat populations, overuse should be considered.

Murine Typhus: A Review of a Reemerging Flea-Borne Rickettsiosis with Potential for Neurologic Manifestations and Sequalae.

Murine typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by Rickettsia typhi, an obligately intracellular Gram-negative coccobacillus. Rats (Rattus species) and their fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) serve as the reservoir and vector of R. typhi, respectively. Humans become infected when R. typhi-infected flea feces are rubbed into flea bite wounds or onto mucous membranes. The disease is endemic throughout much of the world, especially in tropical and subtropical seaboard regions where rats are common. Murine typhus is reemerging as an important cause of febrile illness in Texas and Southern California, where an alternate transmission cycle likely involves opossums (Didelphis virginiana) and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis). Although primarily an undifferentiated febrile illness, a range of neurologic manifestations may occur, especially when treatment is delayed. Serology is the mainstay of diagnostic testing, but confirmation usually requires demonstrating seroconversion or a fourfold increase in antibody titer from acute- and convalescent-phase sera (antibodies are seldom detectable in the first week of illness). Thus, early empiric treatment with doxycycline, the drug of choice, is imperative. The purpose of this review is to highlight murine typhus as an important emerging and reemerging infectious disease, review its neurologic manifestations, and discuss areas in need of further study.

Hedonic analysis of the price of mangalarga marchador horses sold at auctions

The objective was to identify sets of relevant atributes for pricing Mangalarga Marchador horses at auctions and to estimate a hedonic pricing function. We analyzed 452 horses at 20 auctions. The studied variables were characteristics intrinsic to the animals and attributes that influence sale price, which were identified through generalized linear and logistic model analysis. For each additional prize and additional bid, the prices decreased by R$ 2110.00 and R$ 549.00 respectively. The individual’s maternal grandsire positively or negatively affected prices, from R$ - 86.70 to R$ + 35.50. Non-pregnant females were penalized in price by R$ 110.00 compared to non-castrated males. A bay coat added R$ 215.00 to prices when compared to chestnut animals. Online auctions added R$ 20.10 to prices and virtual auctions penalized prices by R$ 617.00. The gray coat devalues a sale by 48% and Seller 3 decreasing by 18%. We conclude that auction type, number of prizes, share sold, animal category, coat, seller, number of bids, and maternal grandsire influenced the prices of Mangalarga Marchador horses, and that coat and seller that influenced the probability of the animal being sold.

Phenotypic and Genetic Study of the Presence of Hair Whorls in Pura Raza Español Horses.

Hair whorls are a hereditary feature in horses that may be associated with temperament and coat color. Hair whorls are described as changes in the hair pattern and may take various forms, such as circular and linear whorls. We first carried out a frequency analysis of hair whorls (circular and linear). Next, a Generalized Non-Linear Model was computed to assess the significance of some potential influencing factors, and a genetic parameter estimation was performed. ENDOG software v4.8 was used to estimate the inbreeding coefficient of all the animals analyzed. It was more common to find horses with circular hair whorls than with linear whorls. The heritability ranges obtained were, in general, medium-high for both circular whorls (0.20 to 0.90) and linear whorls (0.44 to 0.84). High positive correlations were found on the between left and right positions, indicating a tendency to symmetry in certain locations. The laterality of hair whorls was also evidenced, with the biggest concentration on the left-hand side, particularly in gray horses, showing circular whorls below the central line of eyes, which has been associated in a previous paper with a calmer and more docile temperament.

A frameshift in Yersinia pestis rcsD alters canonical Rcs signalling to preserve flea-mammal plague transmission cycles.

Multiple genetic changes in the enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis have driven the emergence of Yesinia pestis, the arthropod-borne, etiological agent of plague. These include developing the capacity for biofilm-dependent blockage of the flea foregut to enable transmission by flea bite. Previously, we showed that pseudogenization of rcsA, encoding a component of the Rcs signalling pathway, is an important evolutionary step facilitating Y. pestis flea-borne transmission. Additionally, rcsD, another important gene in the Rcs system, harbours a frameshift mutation. Here, we demonstrated that this rcsD mutation resulted in production of a small protein composing the C-terminal RcsD histidine-phosphotransferase domain (designated RcsD-Hpt) and full-length RcsD. Genetic analysis revealed that the rcsD frameshift mutation followed the emergence of rcsA pseudogenization. It further altered the canonical Rcs phosphorylation signal cascade, fine-tuning biofilm production to be conducive with retention of the pgm locus in modern lineages of Y. pestis. Taken together, our findings suggest that a frameshift mutation in rcsD is an important evolutionary step that fine-tuned biofilm production to ensure perpetuation of flea-mammal plague transmission cycles.

Clinical Overview of Monkeypox: A Narrative Literature Review

Monkeypox in humans is transmitted through direct contact with infected animals or through the bite of an infected flea. This literature review aimed to describe the clinical aspects and management of monkey pox. Risk factors that can influence the spread of the monkey pox virus to humans are contact with infected animals, flea bites, travel history or being in monkeypox endemic areas, people with immunodeficiencies, age, and occupation factors. The clinical symptoms of monkeypox in humans are often similar to those of smallpox in humans. The time between infection and the onset of clinical symptoms usually ranges from 5 to 21 days, with an average of 12 days. Treatment of monkeypox is mostly supportive and aims to reduce symptoms and prevent complications. In order to prevent the spread of monkeypox, it is very important to avoid contact with animals infected with the monkeypox virus and to take other precautions, such as ensuring good hygiene and avoiding tick bites.

Fleas and lesions in armadillo osteoderms.

Armadillos are bitten by several species of flea. Females of the genus Tunga penetrate the epidermis and when in place are fertilised by males, after which the abdomen swells enormously to form a 'neosome'. Within the penetrans group, T. perforans, makes lesions that perforate the osteoderms within the integument to form ~3 mm diameter cavities occupied by a discoid neosome. We examined these lesions in carapace material from animals which had died in the wild to see whether we could recruit evidence as to how they may be generated, either by the insect or by the host. We studied one species without such lesions, the nine-banded armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus, and two species with, the greater hairy armadillo Chaetophractus villosus and the southern three-banded armadillo Tolypeutes matacus, both showing the characteristic 'flea bite' holes in the external surfaces of the osteoderms. Samples were studied by three-dimensional backscattered electron mode scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microtomography. Both methods showed resorption pit complexes in the external surfaces of the osteoderms characteristic of those made by osteoclasts in active bone resorption. Lesions involved both the syndesmoses (sutures) between adjacent bones and the central regions of the osteoderms. Many lesions showed extensive repair by infilling with new bone. We conclude that the T. perforans neosome creates a local host response which causes bone resorption, creating the space in which it can grow.

Heart disease prediction using hybrid optimization enabled deep learning network with spark architecture

Analyzing massive amounts of data that contain many sorts of data is known as big data analytics. Additionally, the bulk of applications in the actual world need a significant amount of information. Machine learning techniques are used to automatically identify the types and severity of cardiac disease due to the rapid increase of biomedical and healthcare information. However, the ML approach has a number of drawbacks, and because of the complexity of the material, it did not always produce the best results. As a result, an improved deep learning strategy offers a superior fix for this problem. In this study, a brand-new method for diagnosing heart disease—the Grey Wolf Horse Herd optimization-based Shepard Convolutional Neural Network is developed. Here, the master node and slave node-based Spark architecture is used to carry out the heart disease detection process. Preprocessing and feature fusion are carried out in the slave node, whilst heart disease detection is done in the master node. Z-score normalization and missing value imputation are used in this case for pre-processing. The feature fusion is then carried out utilizing Hellinger distance and Deep Q Network (DQN). Furthermore, the ShCNN, which was trained using the created GWHHO algorithm, is used to identify heart disease. The Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) and Horse Herd Optimization (HHO) algorithms are also incorporated into the newly developed GWHHO algorithm. Additionally, employing the VA Long Beach dataset, the experimental of the developed model yields improved results in terms of testing accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.9325, 0.9472, and 0.9142.

Equine Melanocytic Tumors: A Narrative Review.

Adult grey horses have a high incidence of melanocytic tumors. This article narratively reviews the role of some genetic features related to melanoma formation in horses, such as STX17 mutation, ASIP or MITF alterations, and the link between the graying process and the development of these tumors. A clear system of clinical and pathological classification of melanocytic tumors in naevus, dermal melanoma, dermal melanomatosis and anaplastic malignant melanoma is provided. Clinical and laboratorial methods of diagnosing are listed, with fine needle aspiration and histopathology being the most relevant. Relevance is given to immunohistochemistry, describing potentially important diagnostic biomarkers such as RACK1 and PNL2. Different therapeutical options available for equine practitioners are mentioned, with surgery, chemotherapy and electroporation being the most common. This article also elucidatesnew fields of research, perspectives, and new therapeutic targets, such as CD47, PD-1 and COX-2 biomarkers.

Updates in Papular Urticaria Causes, Diagnosis, And Management: A Systematic Review

Abstract: Papular urticaria is a frequent disturbing disease characterized by chronic or recurrent papules that are a hypersensitive reaction to mosquito, bedbug, flea, and other insect bites. PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, EBSCO, and Cochrane library were searched. Study articles were screened by title and abstract using Rayyan QCRI then a full-text assessment was implemented. This review investigates the published literature regarding the causes, diagnosis, and management of papular urticaria. Eight studies were included, with 527 patients with papular urticaria. Most cases were diagnosed morphologically and clinically, and only one study depended on light and electron microscopy. Arthropods and hypersensitivity reactions were the most common causes. This review reported the frequency of hypersensitivity reactions to insect bites, flea bites, bedbug bites, and domestic urticaria bites. According to reports, morphological patterns were used to diagnose most cases clinically. Insect repellents, antihistamines, antipruritic, topical steroids, and symptomatic treatments were used to treat the majority of patients with papular urticaria.

Reconstructive blepharoplasty following eyelid melanoma excision using a sliding skin flap in six horses

SummaryMelanomas are common in grey horses, and the eyelid is one of the less common predilection sites. The eyelids play an important role in maintaining ocular health, and damage to the eyelid margin can lead to ocular complications, including ocular pain, conjunctivitis and ulcerative keratitis. Surgical procedures to remove eyelid tumours, therefore, often require reconstruction techniques to re‐establish the eyelid's appearance and function. The sliding skin flap is a simple surgical technique that can be applied to close the defect resulting from surgical excision of eyelid tumours such as melanomas, but there is little published data about the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of this procedure in the horse. This case report reviews six horses where a sliding skin flap was used to reconstruct the eyelid after excision of discrete eyelid melanomas, with short‐ and long‐term follow‐up of the cases. Short‐term complications (including corneal abrasion from a suture) were uncommon (two cases), and there were no reported long‐term complications (follow‐up period 6 months to 13 years), with no melanoma recurrence at the surgical site. However, new melanoma development at other sites of the body occurred in several cases.

Lifespan and efficiency gain for outdoor electronic systems from radiative cooling: A case study on distribution transformers

We investigate the impact of radiative cooling (RC) on pole-type distribution transformers which are utilized daily around the world, as a case study for broad range of outdoor electrical systems that feature high internal heating and require unique cooling strategies. A majority outdoor electrical equipment, including distribution transformers, rely on passive thermal management techniques via natural convection and radiation to dissipate the internal heat generated by electrical inefficiencies. Utilizing RC paint on the exterior of the case would allow further dissipation of heat to deep-space, an infinite heat sink at 3 K, as well as increase the solar reflectance to lessen the external heat load on the equipment. A single 25 kVA pole-type transformer is modeled via CFD. Two different exterior case coatings, the standard gray coatings commonly utilized and an RC coating, BaSO4 paint, are analyzed under different operating loads and ambient temperatures. The RC coating makes a 25 kVA distribution transformer’s windings more than 9 K cooler than the standard case with an ambient air temperature of 321 K and demonstrates below ambient cooling of the case at low heat generations. The lifetime of the distribution transformers is increased by greater than 50% when comparing the standard paint case to the RC paint case based on the Aging Acceleration Factor.

Papules, pustules, and rhinoconjunctivitis in a 4-year-old

Papules, pustules, and rhinoconjunctivitis in a 4-year-old

Seroprevalence of rickettsial infection in northern Cyprus: A study among hunters.

This study was conducted to investigate rickettsial seropositivity among hunters, a high-risk population for tick-borne diseases in northern Cyprus. Serum samples were collected from 300 hunters from different locations during the 2017-2018 hunting season (November 2017 - February 2018). The samples were analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using slides coated with Rickettsia slovaca, a species belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG). During the sample collection, a questionnaire was also applied to evaluate possible risk factors for rickettsial seropositivity. Of the 300 serum samples, six (2.0%) were found to be IgG-positive with a titer of 1:64. While all seropositive individuals were male, the statistical analysis revealed no significant association of gender with rickettsial seropositivity (p=1.000). Other factors including age (p=0.414), residential places of the participants (p=0.347), hunting years (p=0.694) or hunting abroad (p=1.000) did not significantly affect the IgG positivity. Also, no statistical correlation was found between a history of an arthropod (tick, louse, or flea) bite and rickettsial seropositivity (p=1.000). To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates rickettsial seropositivity among human population in northern Cyprus. Our study suggests that awareness should be raised among the people especially involved in outdoor activities such as hunting, and control programs should be implemented to prevent possible rickettsiosis cases. Further serological studies using other Rickettsia spp. antigens, as well as molecular studies that search for Rickettsia spp. in humans, animals and arthropods are needed to obtain more comprehensive data on rickettsiosis in northern Cyprus.

First medical and pre-medical aid for insect bites

Insect bites are common and usually do not require specialized treatment. With the advent of the summer period, the number of cases of mosquito, bee, bedbug, lice and flea bites increases, and more and more people complain of local reactions in the form of itching and urticaria. Skin manifestations of allergies are often caused not by the bite itself, but by various enzymes that are contained in the saliva of the insect.

QTL Mapping for Age-Related Eye Pigmentation in the Pink-Eyed Dilution Castaneus Mutant Mouse.

Pink-eyed dilution castaneus (Oca2p-cas) is a mutant gene on mouse chromosome 7 that arose spontaneously in wild Mus musculus castaneus. Homozygotes for Oca2p-cas exhibit pink eyes and a light gray coat throughout life. In an ordinary mutant strain carrying Oca2p-cas, we previously discovered a novel spontaneous mutation that gradually increases melanin pigmentation in the eyes and coat with aging, and we developed a novel mutant strain that was fixed for the novel phenotype. The purpose of this study was to map major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the novel pigmentation phenotype and for expression levels of four important melanogenesis genes, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf), tyrosinase (Tyr), tyrosinase-related protein-1 (Tyrp1) and dopachrome tautomerase (Dct). We developed 69 DNA markers and created 303 F2 mice from two reciprocal crosses between novel and ordinary mutant strains. The QTL analysis using a selective genotyping strategy revealed a significant QTL for eye pigmentation between 34 and 64 Mb on chromosome 13. This QTL explained approximately 20% of the phenotypic variance. The QTL allele derived from the novel strain increased pigmentation. Although eye pigmentation was positively correlated with Dct expression, no expression QTLs were found, suggesting that the pigmentation QTL on chromosome 13 may not be directly in the pathway of any of the four melanogenesis genes. This study is the first step toward identifying a causal gene for the novel spontaneous phenotype in mice and is expected to discover a new regulatory mechanism for complex melanin biosynthesis during aging.

Borreliosis, enfermedad de Lyme y fiebre recurrente

Lyme borreliosis is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes genus that are infected by some members of the Borrelia burgdorferisensu lato spirochetes group. A common symptom is migratory erythema, the early rash caused by the tick bite on the skin. The disease progresses in months or even years, causing systemic symptoms that mainly affect the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system. The diagnosis is mainly based on symptoms and serology. The treatment of choice is doxycycline or beta-lactams; macrolides are an alternative. The prognosis with appropriate antibiotic treatment is favorable. Recurrent fever is a zoonosis caused by other species of Borrelia transmitted by flea and tick bites. It is characterized by a periodic fever and short febrile periods followed by a period of apyrexia. During the febrile period, spirochetes can be observed on a blood smear test. It is treated with doxycycline or penicillin and Jarisch–Herxheimer reactions are common.

Development of a dual antigen lateral flow immunoassay for detecting Yersinia pestis.

Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague, a zoonosis associated with small mammals. Plague is a severe disease, especially in the pneumonic and septicemic forms, where fatality rates approach 100% if left untreated. The bacterium is primarily transmitted via flea bite or through direct contact with an infected host. The 2017 plague outbreak in Madagascar resulted in more than 2,400 cases and was highlighted by an increased number of pneumonic infections. Standard diagnostics for plague include laboratory-based assays such as bacterial culture and serology, which are inadequate for administering immediate patient care for pneumonic and septicemic plague. The goal of this study was to develop a sensitive rapid plague prototype that can detect all virulent strains of Y. pestis. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against two Y. pestis antigens, low-calcium response V (LcrV) and capsular fraction-1 (F1), and prototype lateral flow immunoassays (LFI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were constructed. The LFIs developed for the detection of LcrV and F1 had limits of detection (LOD) of roughly 1-2 ng/mL in surrogate clinical samples (antigens spiked into normal human sera). The optimized antigen-capture ELISAs produced LODs of 74 pg/mL for LcrV and 61 pg/mL for F1 when these antigens were spiked into buffer. A dual antigen LFI prototype comprised of two test lines was evaluated for the detection of both antigens in Y. pestis lysates. The dual format was also evaluated for specificity using a small panel of clinical near-neighbors and other Tier 1 bacterial Select Agents. LcrV is expressed by all virulent Y. pestis strains, but homologs produced by other Yersinia species can confound assay specificity. F1 is specific to Y. pestis but is not expressed by all virulent strains. Utilizing highly reactive mAbs, a dual-antigen detection (multiplexed) LFI was developed to capitalize on the diagnostic strengths of each target.

How a Victorian Immigrant Almost Became the First Lady of the United States

How a Victorian Immigrant Almost Became the First Lady of the United States Janelle Molony (bio) Sarah Jane Daglish, born in 1815 in England at the height of the Industrial Revolution, may have dreamed of one day marrying a prince but likely never imagined herself becoming the queen of America fifty years later. But, through six degrees of separation, or one big mistake, it was almost true! In 1837, Miss Daglish, then a music teacher living in Saginaw, Michigan, met her would-be Kentuckian husband and Republican presidential ticket hopeful, only to be caught in a case of mistaken identity. Discovering the Source of the Story To preserve her family's remarkable past (I am a descendant and a historian), I have been telling stories of my great-great-great-grandmother Sarah Jane Rousseau (née Daglish) for nearly five years. In studying my ancestral roots, I have landed on a gemstone: a private diary that exquisitely details the family's westward wagon train adventure from near Pella, Iowa, to San Bernardino, California, in 1864.1 From this discovery, I am novelizing the journey in a forthcoming work of fiction based on the people of the Pella Company featured in Sarah's diary. Though the original diary is in the possession of another family member, I have a copy of a typed transcription from the 1900s created by one of the wagon train member descendants.2 The entries begin on Friday, May 13, 1864, and end on Saturday, December 17—spanning the critical election season that might have launched Sarah into the political spotlight, if only her Michigan meeting with the male caller had gone another way. In the diary, she catalogs mileage, weather, and major landmarks, as well as her personal opinions on important matters such as people's manners, physical appearances, and her adoration for four regal gray horses that pulled her "carriage" through the plains until they met tragic endings.3 [End Page 131] San Bernardino historian Nicholas Cataldo examined the original diary while in the possession of its prior owner. He photographed several pages and described the lightly penciled-in sketches of nightly camp corrals and dainty wildflowers that were pressed tightly between the aging sheets.4 The nearly always perfect, tightly looped cursive and proper grammar reflect Sarah's elite upbringing as a daughter of a well-off tailor from Newcastle Upon Tyne in England. From England to America With help from Stephen Daglish—a surname expert and representative of the Guild of One-Name Studies—I have traced the lineage of the Daglish name (a derivative of the Dalgleish Scottish spelling).5 They first crossed the Scottish border near Selkirk into England in the 1500s. There, several generations of lowly medieval coal miners rose in social rank from the English village of Wickham, County Durham, south of the River Tyne, and later in Tanfield and Eighton Banks (alternatively spelled "Ayton"). In County Durham, the family may have dabbled in the booming of "waggonways,"6 which became the model for more modern railway systems in the late 1700s. From there, the Daglish name appears across the Tyne, in Shiremoor, Northumberland, until the family line eventually traces to neighboring villages in Great Usworth and a much more affluent situation.7 Here, Sarah's grandfather John Daglish Sr. (1750-1797) married the daughter of a bootmaker and they had seven children together, including brothers William and John Jr.8 In 1812, William Daglish (1780-1849) married Mary Anne Eliott (1787-1824), whose brother, Thomas, ran a large boot and shoe establishment in Newcastle Upon Tyne.9 The couple moved there to raise their only two children: Mary Ann Daglish (1813-1904) and Sarah Jane Daglish (1815-1872). Per granddaughter Evelyn Anderson-Straight's recollection, the girls were provided a private education by in-home tutors, with an emphasis on fine needlework and music.10 This included receiving instruction from a distinguished piano master and student of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Though the instructor's name is undocumented in family records, I can narrow the possibilities to Ferdinand Ries, who interned with Beethoven for four years, produced a few concertos, and then settled in London from 1813...

Faecal Proteomics and Functional Analysis of Equine Melanocytic Neoplasm in Grey Horses.

Equine melanocytic neoplasm (EMN) is a common disease in older grey horses. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential proteins throughout EMN stages from faecal proteomic outlining using functional analysis. Faecal samples were collected from the rectum of 25 grey horses divided into three groups; normal group without EMN (n = 10), mild EMN (n = 6) and severe EMN (n = 9). Based on the results, 5910 annotated proteins out of 8509 total proteins were assessed from proteomic profiling. We observed differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between the normal group and the EMN group, and 109 significant proteins were obtained, of which 28 and 81 were involved in metabolic and non-metabolic functions, respectively. We found 10 proteins that play a key role in lipid metabolism, affecting the tumour microenvironment and, consequently, melanoma progression. Interestingly, FOSL1 (FOS like 1, AP-1 transcription factor subunit) was considered as a potential highly expressed protein in a mild EMN group involved in melanocytes cell and related melanoma. Diacylglycerol kinase (DGKB), TGc domain-containing protein (Tgm2), structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 (SMC4) and mastermind-like transcriptional coactivator 2 (MAML2) were related to lipid metabolism, facilitating melanoma development in the severe-EMN group. In conclusion, these potential proteins can be used as candidate biomarkers for the monitoring of early EMN, the development of EMN, further prevention and treatment.