Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3150 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
J Med Entomol. 2012 Jan;49(1):210-4. doi: 10.1603/me11045.
Quantifying the abundance of host-seeking fleas is critical for assessing risk of human exposure to flea-borne disease agents, including Yersinia pestis, the etiological agent of plague. Yet, reliable measures of the efficacy of existing host-seeking flea collection methods are lacking. In this study, we compare the efficacy of passive and active methods for the collection of host-seeking fleas in both the laboratory and human habitations in a plague-endemic region of northwest Uganda. In the laboratory, lighted "Kilonzo" flea traps modified with either blinking lights, the creation of shadows or the generation of carbon dioxide were less efficient at collecting Xenopsylla cheopis Rothchild and Ctenocephalides felis Bouché fleas than an active collection method using white cotton socks or cotton flannel. Passive collection using Kilonzo light traps in the laboratory collected significantly more X. cheopis than C. felis and active collection, using white socks and flannel, collected significantly more C. felis than X. cheopis. In field studies conducted in Uganda, Kilonzo traps using a flashlight were similar in their collection efficacy to Kilonzo traps using kerosene lamps. However, in contrast to laboratory studies, Kilonzo flea traps using flashlights collected a greater number of fleas than swabbing. Within human habitations in Uganda, Kilonzo traps were especially useful for collecting C. felis, the dominant species found in human habitations in this area.
量化宿主寻找性跳蚤的丰度对于评估人类暴露于跳蚤传播疾病病原体（包括鼠疫耶尔森菌，鼠疫的病原体）的风险至关重要。然而，缺乏对现有宿主寻找性跳蚤收集方法有效性的可靠衡量标准。在这项研究中，我们比较了被动和主动方法在实验室和乌干达西北部鼠疫流行地区人类栖息地收集宿主寻找性跳蚤的效果。在实验室中，经过改进的带有闪烁灯、阴影或二氧化碳产生的“Kilonzo”跳蚤灯比使用白色棉袜或棉绒布的主动收集方法更能有效收集罗氏栉眼蚤和猫栉首蚤，但不如后者。Kilonzo 灯在实验室中的被动收集方法收集的罗氏栉眼蚤显著多于猫栉首蚤，而使用白色袜子和绒布的主动收集方法收集的猫栉首蚤显著多于罗氏栉眼蚤。在乌干达进行的实地研究中，使用手电筒的 Kilonzo 陷阱在收集效果上与使用煤油灯的 Kilonzo 陷阱相似。然而，与实验室研究相反，使用手电筒的 Kilonzo 跳蚤陷阱收集的跳蚤数量多于拭子法。在乌干达的人类住区中，Kilonzo 陷阱特别适用于收集 C. felis，这是该地区人类住区中发现的主要物种。
