Lecture 8: Flea Infestations Flashcards
Siphonaptera are
Fleas
Fleas (siphonaptera): morphology, mouthparts, level of host specificity
Wingless, laterally flattened
Females larger than males
Piercing sucking mouthparts
Obligate ectoparasites of mammals and birds
Not very host specific —> preferred hosts
Fleas: life cycle (what kind of metamorphosis)
Eggs laid in host nest
Holometabolous/complete metamorphosis —> 3 larval instars, pupae in cocoons
2-4 weeks for 1 generation
Fleas: transmission
Contact with infested hosts and fomites
Fleas degree of attachment to host: 4 groups/types
Nidicolous = live in host’s nest and visit host only to feed
Primarily live on host’s body
Sticktight = mated females use mouthparts to permanently attach to host
Chigoe = mated females embedded within host’s skin
Fleas most commonly associated with what 2 species
Cats
Dogs
Diagnosis of fleas: detection of (3)
Adults on host
Adults or larvae from bedding debris
Flea feces = place on wet paper towel and ID red spots
Tanoxomic ID of fleas
70% ethanol
Treatment of host: fleas (4)
Adulticides
Insect growth regulators to disrupt development
Combo of 2 above
Physical removal from host
Fipronil, selamectin, pyrethrins are examples of what kind of flea treatment
Adulticides
Methoprene, luferunon are examples of what kind of flea treatment
Insect growth regulators
Environmental control of fleas: indoors
Vacuum infested areas
Wash bedding
Apply Adulticides and insect growth regulators
Environmental control of fleas: outdoors
Trim trees, shrubs and grass
Insecticides in shaded microhabitats
Collect/destroy infested bedding or poultry litter
Echidnophaga gallinacea: generic name, species affected, where found, predilection, can cause, treatment
Sticktight flea
Southeastern US, tropics
Poultry, wild birds
Non feathered skin on head, comb, watttles
Blindness
Physically remove, topical pyrethrin (Adulticide)
Ceratophyllus species (2)
C. Niger
C. Galinae
What kind of attachment method do Ceratophyllus species use
Nidicolous
Ceratophyllus niger: generic name, where found, who it bites
Western chicken flea
Western North America
Humans
Ceratophyllus gallinae: generic name, where found
European chicken flea
Northern US
Where most fleas are found on dogs and cats (3)
Tailhead
Neck
Flanks
Ctenocephalides species: morphology, 2 species affected
Genal and pronotal combs
Dogs and cats
2 species of ctenocephalides
Ctenocephalides felis
Ctenocephalides canis
Ctenocephalides felis: generic name, important for transmission of (2)
Cat flea
Bubonic plague, tapeworm diphylidium Caninum
What is the most common flea of dogs and cats
Ctenocephalides felis (Cat flea)
Echidnophaga gallinacea affects what species (3)
Dogs
Cats
Poultry
Pulex species: what kind of attachment to host, vectors for what
Nidicolous
Bubonic plague
2 pulex species
Pulex irritans
Pulex simulans
Pulex irritans: generic name
Human flea
Pulex simulans: 3 species affected
Wild mammals, rodents, opossums
Ctenocephalides felis: species affected, how transmitted
Domestic rabbits, rodents, ferrets
Infested dogs and cats
Common flea species that infest domestic rabbits (3)
Spilopsyllus cuniculi
Cediopsylla simplex
Echidnophaga gallinacea
Can you treat flea infestations on rabbits with fipronil
NO
What kind of attachment do S. Cuniculi and C. Simplex use
Nidicolous
2 flea species that infest wild rodents
Xenopsylla cheopis
Nosopsyllus fasciatus
X. Cheopis and N. Fasciatus: type of attachment to host
Nidicolous
What disease is transmitted by X. Cheopis and N. Fasciatus
Bubonic plague
What flea species infests goats, sheep, cattle and equids
Ctenocephalides felis
What 4 flea species affect ungulates (swine, goats, sheep, cattle, equids)
Ctenocephalides felis
Pulex species
Echidonphaga gallinacea
Tunga species
Tunga species: generic name, where found, lesions cause what
Chigoes
Tropical Latin America and Africa
Affect gait, mastitis and agalactia
