Medical Entomology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Ambatofotsikely, Madagascar.
Plague Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Ambatofotsikely, Madagascar.
J Med Entomol. 2020 Jul 4;57(4):1318-1323. doi: 10.1093/jme/tjaa026.
The Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild 1903), is a cosmopolitan flea usually found infesting domestic rats. This flea is a well-known major human plague vector in Madagascar. As part of field sampling, fleas and small mammals were collected in the village of South Andranofeno and the natural reserve of Sohisika, two sites of the district of Ankazobe, located in the Central Highlands of Madagascar. Rats inside houses and forest small mammals were trapped using Besancon Technical Services and pitfall traps, respectively. Their fleas were collected and preserved for laboratory works. Collected fleas from the village and forest belonged to five species, which were X. cheopis, Synopsyllus fonquerniei (Wagner and Roubaud 1932) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood 1875) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Ctenocephalides felisstrongylus (Jordan 1925) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), Pulex irritans (Linnaeus 1758) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). After sampling in the forest zone, one specimen of X. cheopis was unexpectedly collected while infesting an endemic tenrec Setifer setosus (Schreber 1777) (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis on all collected fleas allowed detecting plague bacterium Yersinia pestis (Lehmann and Neumann 1896) (Enterobacterales: Yersiniaceae) on nine specimens of the endemic flea S. fonquerniei collected inside forest. The presence of the oriental rat flea in forest highlights the connection between human and wild environments due to animal movements and the fact that the rat flea can infest various hosts. As only one specimen of X. cheopis was collected on S. setosus, we hypothesize that flea was carried from the village to forest. Yersinia pestis infection of forest fleas outlines plague circulation in this sylvatic area.
东方鼠蚤， Xenopsylla cheopis（Rothschild 1903），是一种世界性的跳蚤，通常在国内老鼠身上发现。这种跳蚤是马达加斯加著名的主要人类鼠疫媒介。作为野外采样的一部分，在马达加斯加中东部安卡拉贝地区的 South Andranofeno 村和 Sohisika 自然保护区采集了跳蚤和小型哺乳动物。利用 Besancon 技术服务和陷阱分别在房屋内捕获老鼠，在森林中捕获小型哺乳动物。收集的跳蚤被收集并保存用于实验室工作。从村庄和森林中收集的跳蚤属于五个物种，分别是 X. cheopis、Synopsyllus fonquerniei（Wagner 和 Roubaud 1932）（蚤目：Pulicidae）、Echidnophaga gallinacea（Westwood 1875）（蚤目：Pulicidae）、Ctenocephalides felisstrongylus（Jordan 1925）（蚤目：Pulicidae）、Pulex irritans（Linnaeus 1758）（蚤目：Pulicidae）。在森林区采样后，意外地在一种地方性的 tenrec Setifer setosus（Schreber 1777）（Afrosoricida：Tenrecidae）身上采集到一只 X. cheopis。对所有收集的跳蚤进行聚合酶链反应（PCR）诊断，在森林中采集的 9 只地方性跳蚤 S. fonquerniei 中检测到鼠疫菌 Yersinia pestis（Lehmann 和 Neumann 1896）（肠杆菌目：Yersiniaceae）。森林中出现东方鼠蚤突出了由于动物运动导致的人类与野生环境之间的联系，以及这种跳蚤可以感染各种宿主的事实。由于只在 S. setosus 上采集到一只 X. cheopis，我们假设跳蚤是从村庄带到森林的。森林跳蚤感染鼠疫菌勾勒出该森林地区鼠疫的循环。
