FLEAS Flashcards
1
Q
What does research say about fleas and flies?
A
fleas are closely related to flies
2
Q
Siphonaptera = ?
A
fleas
3
Q
Fleas =
A
Siphonaptera
4
Q
fleas:
95% on:
5% on:
A
95% on MAMMALS
5% on BIRDS
5
Q
What does flea identification yield?
A
yields host information, providing ideas on source
6
Q
Ctenocephalides felis
A
Cat flea
7
Q
What is flea allergy dermatitis?
A
severe allergic reaction to flea salivary secretions
8
Q
Cat flea
A
Ctenocephalides felis
9
Q
How do most people react to flea bites?
A
most don’t react so dramatically
most flea bites produce a transient pruritus (aka typically cause temporary itching)
10
Q
Pruritus vs. Pustules
A
Pruritus: medical term for itching
Pustules: small raised bumps filled with pus from itching
11
Q
Are adult fleas hematophagous?
A
YES STRICTLY hematophagous
12
Q
Can adult fleas survive without a vertebrate host? Why or why not?
A
NO THEY CANNOT
since they are strictly hematophagous, they have to have the host for survival
13
Q
How do fleas get water?
A
blood…they are strictly hematophagous so they rely on blood for nutrition and hydration
14
Q
What are some descriptions of a flea?
A
- laterally compressed
- ornamented with spines
- ctenidia (combs)
15
Q
Why are fleas so hard to remove from fur?
A
flattened bodies
fast jumpers
TINY SIZE
strong legs and claws
16
Q
Ctenocephalides canis
A
Dog flea
17
Q
How often might you find ctenocephalides canis (dog flea) in North America?
A
RARELY found in North America
18
Q
Dog flea
A
Ctenocephalides canis
19
Q
Where is a flea egg laid? What is it like?
A
on host
NOT sticky
20
Q
Where might flea eggs collect?
A
in host environment
wherever host spends time
21
Q
What do cat flea eggs look like?
A
pearly-white
22
Q
We know flea eggs collect where host animals spend much time, what else collects here?
A
adult flea feces
23
Q
Knowledge of host behavior enables what?
A
identification of likely flea larval developmental sites
24
Q
About how big are cat flea eggs?
A
1 mm
25
In grazing through their environment, what do flea larvae consume?
organic matter such as adult flea feces (occasionally bite into tapeworm proglottids)
26
When looking at flea larva, there is dark material in the gut. What is this?
mainly of adult feces that the larva has consumed
27
How can you tell which end is the head of the flea larva?
reddish-brown under microscope
tiny mouthparts
hardened more
28
What do flea larvae look like?
- slender, yellow-white
- legless
- eyeless
- segmentally arranged bristles
-chewing mouthparts
29
What do flea larvae feed on?
dried blood and other organic debris
30
About how long does a flea larva pupate?
1 week to several weeks
31
What can you somewhat compare in appearance to flea larvae?
kind of maggot-like
making them difficult to identify species
32
Why is there a saying "it's not the flea biting the dog - it's the dog biting the flea".
because the dog or cat eat the infected flea where the cysticercoid in the flea is now developing into adult tapeworm in host's small intestine
33
What is the life cycle of Dipylidum Caninum (the "cucumber" tapeworm)
1) dog or cat eats infected flea host that contains cysticercoids
2) cysticercoid develops into adult tapeworm in host small intestine
3) egg passes in feces of infected dog or cat and the eggs stick to perianal skin
4) eggs ingested by a flea or louse
5) eggs hatch and cysticercoids develop in flea or louse
6) cat or dog eats the flea or louse host
7) repeats
34
Double-pored dog tapeworm
Dipylidium caninum
35
What are the hosts and vectors of Dipylidium caninum?
Hosts: Dogs and cats
Vectors: dog flea, cat flea, human flea
36
Why would the fleas even bite the tapeworm egg?
Proglottid (egg pouch) exits anus, dries, falls to substrate
foraging flea larvae bite into proglottid and consume tapeworm eggs
37
What is the significance of carpet backing in relation to fleas?
the under side of the carpet is darker, warmer, harder to reach making it more ideal for flea larva
shelter from light, food source, humidity (all what a flea larva might want)
38
What does flea larva spin?
spins a silk cocoon which adheres debris such as soil or carpet fibers camouflaging the cocoon as a dirt clod or lint ball
39
Why is camouflaging of flea larva good?
they blend in as a dirt clod or lint ball
40
What does the flea larva do within the cocoon?
larva molts to the pupal stage and the pupa molts to the adult stage
41
Under good environmental conditions, about how long does it take a flea larva to pupate to adult?
about a week
42
How long can a pre-emerged adult flea survive within the cocoon?
moths until it senses host proximity (movement, warmth, CO2)
43
What is the most variable duration of any stage of development of an adult flea?
the time for waiting to jump on host
44
Life cycle of flea?
adult
eggs
larva
pupa (cocoon)
adult again
45
What happens if you wash the dog a few days before applying a topical flea control product?
you may strip your dogs natural oils
the treatment relies on natural oils for it to spread properly
if skin is too clean, it may not spread properly and work efficiently
46
Where do you put host-applied products to deter fleas?
typically between shoulder blades
47
What is the host-applied products for fleas?
Lipophilic
48
Lipophilic
fat loving or oil attractant
49
Do these spot on flea control treatments penetrate skin and get into bloodstream?
no, they don't do either
50
Why is frontline (fipronil) significant?
it is effective against ticks AND fleas
51
What are two chemicals used in flea insecticide?
Imidacloprid
Flumethrin
52
Can you use the same flea insecticide on dogs and cats?
NO if registered for use on dogs they could be LETHAL to cats
53
What is the difference between an IGR and an adulticide?
IGR: disrupts development of fleas (doesn't kill directly)
Adulticide: immediately kill adult fleas
54
Steam-cleaning carpet. What effect does very hot water have on eggs? On larvae? On (pharate) adult fleas within the cocoon?
- direct contact with very hot water can break the eggs and keep from hatching
- larva are very vulnerable to heat and will kill them on contact
- adult flies with cocoon are more resilient due to cocoon protecting them, but if enough heat for a certain amount of time can kill flea
55
When dealing with fleas, where should insecticide be focused? What precautions should take place?
on areas frequented by the host
exclude people and animals while application is made
56
Does ctenocephalides felis have a strict host range?
NOPE very broad host range
possum
raccoon
skunk
57
What contributes to flea persistence?
flea-infested strays and urban wildlife
58
Why might one say DO NOT KILL OR REPEL FLEAS?
because killing them may also harm their natural predator
also, overuse can lead to resistance
59
Do fleas have wings?
NOPE
60
What do fleas feed on?
blood
61
Fleas are vectors of disease of:
bubonic plague
murine typhus
myxomatosis
dipetalonema reconditum
tapeworms
62
Pulex irritans
human flea
63
human flea
pulex irritans
64
Where are pulex irritans (human fleas)?
worldwide distribution
65
What are hosts of the pulex irritans (human flea)?
humans
cats
dogs
swine
rabbits
squirrels
foxes
opossums
66
Chigoe
tunga penetrans
67
tunga penetrans
chigoe
68
Where is tunga penetrans (chigoe) found?
tropical and subtropical Africa and South Africa
69
What are the hosts of tunga penetrans (chigoe)?
humans
dogs
swine
other mammals
70
What does the female tunga penetran (chigoe) do?
female embeds head into host
causing swelling
71
Does the female tunga penetrans (chigoe) move?
no she is sessile
embeds mouthparts in host and remains in that position
can cause lesions and swelling
72
Echidnophaga gallinacea
stick tight flea
73
Where is echidnophaga gallinacea (stick tight flea) most abundant? Can you find elsewhere?
in southern states
found worldwide
74
stick tight flea
Echidnophaga gallinacea
75
Hosts of Echidnophaga gallinacea (stick tight flea)?
wild birds
domestic fowl
various mammals
human
76
How many hosts does the female Echidnophaga gallinacea (stick tight flea) jump from?
one single host female remains fastened to (sessile)
77
Which flea has a greatly reduced thoracic segment?
Echidnophaga gallinacea (stick tight flea)
78
Xenopsylla cheopis
oriental rat flea
79
Where is Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea) found?
cosmopolitan
worldwide
80
oriental rat flea
Xenopsylla cheopis
81
What are the hosts of Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea)?
rats
ground squirrels
rabbits
humans
82
What is Xenopsylla cheopis (oriental rat flea) a primary vector of?
bubonic plague
83
What bacteria causes the plague?
Yersinim pestis (bacteria)
84
Black Death of the Middle Ages
plague
85
What does the plague cause?
swelling of lymph glands (buboes) and subcutaneous hemorrhages that turn black
86
Who does the plague affect?
humans
rodents
pets
87
What happens when an oriental rat flea feeds on a plague-infected host?
it consumes plague bacilli in the blood
88
After the flea consumes the plague bacilli in the blood what happens?
plague bacilli grow and develop a biofilm on the pro ventricular spines blocking the opening
89
Plague bacilli grow and develop a biofilm on the pro ventricular spines blocking the opening. What happens next?
this prevents material from passing through the esophagus (E) to the midgut (MG)
when the flea gets hungry it inserts its mouthparts into the host and sucks blood, but the blood cannot pass through the proventriculus (PV)
so it flows back into the host's circulatory system carrying with it some of the plague bacilli
90
Oriental rat flea
xenopsylla cheopis
91
What are plague reservoirs?
rats
prairie dogs
ground squirrels
92
How is a child most likely to acquire plague?
playing outside
handling animals
flea bite from playing outside
93
What can subcutaneous hemorrhage from the plague result in?
necrosis
94
What can plague create cervically?
cervical bubo
95
What can successfully treat yersinia pests (plague)? Will patients ever fully recover?
antibiotics
patient can fully recover if infection is treated in time
96
What is the most effective antibiotic against Yersinia pests (plague)?
Streptomycin
97
Where is the plague commonly found?
four corners
Utah, colorado, New Mexico, Arizona
98
When was the last urban epidemic plague?
1924-25
Los Angeles
99
What is endemic typhus/murine typhus?
Rickettsia typhi
100
What is the vector for endemic typhus?
oriental rat flea
northern rat flea
flea borne
101
What is the vector for epidemic typhus?
Pediculus humanus corpus
louse borne
102
What are symptoms of endemic typhus?
rash
fever
103
What is endemic typhus similar to?
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
104
What is more severe? Epidemic or endemic typhus?
Epidemic typhus
105
How is murine typhus spread?
through contact with infected fleas
106
How do people get sick with murine typhus?
when infected flea feces are rubbed into cuts or scrapes in the skin
107
In most areas of the world, what is the main animal host for fleas infected with murine typhus?
rats
108
Where does murine typhus occur?
in tropical and subtropical climates around the world where rats and their fleas live
109
Does scratching mean a dog has fleas?
not necessarily
110
In pruritus what does '-itis' refer to?
an inflammatory condition
111
Ctenidia
comb-like structures or rows of stiff spines or bristles on fleas
112
Pharate
insect that is pre-emergent stage
developed into adult bust still enclosed in pupal case or exoskeleton
113
Proglottid
segment of a tapeworm
114
Lipophilic
fat-loving or oil loving
115
Larvicide
chemical or biological agent designed to kill insect larvae
116
Insect growth regulator
chemical that disrupts growth and development of insects prevent from maturing or reproduce
117
Enzootic
disease that regularly occurs in a particular animal population or geographic area
