Early-phase transmission of Yersinia pestis by cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) and their potential role as vectors in a plague-endemic region of Uganda.
In recent decades, the majority of human plague cases (caused by Yersinia pestis) have been reported from Africa. In northwest Uganda, which has had recent plague outbreaks, cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) have been reported as the most common fleas in the home environment, which is suspected to be a major exposure site for human plague in this country. In the past, C. felis has been viewed as only a nuisance-biting insect because limited laboratory studies suggested it is incapable of transmitting Y. pestis or is an inefficient vector. Our laboratory study shows that C. felis is a competent vector of plague bacteria, but that efficiency is low compared with another flea species collected in the same area: the oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. On the other hand, despite its low vector efficiency, C. felis is the most common flea in human habitations in a plague-endemic region of Uganda (Arua and Nebbi Districts), and occasionally infests potential rodent reservoirs of Y. pestis such as the roof rat (Rattus rattus) or the Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus). Plague control programs in this region should remain focused on reducing rat flea populations, although our findings imply that cat fleas should not be ignored by these programs as they could play a significant role as secondary vectors.
Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Zoonotic, Enteric and Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado 80522, USA. dyn2@cdc.gov
Rebecca J
RJ
Eisen
Jeff N
JN
Borchert
Jennifer L
JL
Holmes
Gerald
G
Amatre
Kristen
K
Van Wyk
Russell E
RE
Enscore
Nackson
N
Babi
Linda A
LA
Atiku
Aryn P
AP
Wilder
Sara M
SM
Vetter
Scott W
SW
Bearden
John A
JA
Montenieri
Kenneth L
KL
Gage
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D051379:Mice; D010930:Plague / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission*; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000472:pathogenicity*