Rodent borne diseases and their fleas in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt.

A preliminary survey of domestic rodent borne diseases and their fleas was carried out in ten centers of Menofiya (Quesna, Shebeen El-Kom, Berka El-Saabe, El-Bagour, El-Shohada, Tala, Menoff, Searth El-Lian, Ashmon and El-Sadat) Governorate, Egypt. Rodent index (number of rodent / trap) and percentage frequency of different rodent species were recorded in spring (2009). The main species was Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, the grey-bellied rat, R. rattus alexandrinus, the white- bellied rat, R. rattus frugivorus and the house mouse, Mus musculus. Searth El-Lian center showed the highest existing rodent- index, while Quesna center showed the lowest existing rodent-index. The Norway rat, R. norvegicus showed higher frequency at Shebeen El-Kom, Berka El-Saabe, El-Baguur, Searth El-Lian and El-Sadat. R. rattus alexandrinus showed higher frequency at Tala center, while Rattus rattusfrugivorus showed higher frequency at El-Shohada, Menoff and Ashmon. M. masculus showed the lower frequency at all centers. The common flea species attacking rodents at all centers were: the oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, the mouse flea, Lyptopsylla segnis and the dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis. The flea index (number of flea/rodent) at Searth El-Lian was the highest, while Shebeen El- Kom showed the lowest index. The oriental rat flea, X. cheopis was the highest frequency distribution for all domestic rodent species studied while, the dog flea, C.s canis was the lowest. The adult rodents showed the higher frequency with fleas than juveniles.