Kessy Stella T, Rija Alfan A
School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering (LiSBE), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania.
Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, CHUO KIKUU, Morogoro, Tanzania.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Jun 18;5(6):e0004751. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004751. eCollection 2025.
Plague persistence remains a major health concern in some African countries. Although the role of some flea vectors in their transmission is widely known, the local-scale factors contributing to human plague recurrence are still poorly understood, thwarting the potential disease mitigation measures in affected communities. We examined the flea population and their relationship to household practices in rural Mbulu District, northern Tanzania. We sampled fleas from both host (170 rodents in 3 species) and household interiors using a Light trap (Ltrap). We found seven species of flea inhabiting the human dwelling, with Xenopsylla brasilliensis the most common species occupying rodent species and the in-house environment. Dinopsylla lypusus and three others: Ctenocephalides canis, Ctenocephalides felis and Xenopsylla cheopis, partitioned between the rodents and the house environment, respectively, indicating niche separation and distinct disease transmission risks in these vectors. Further, the flea index varied throughout the sampling period, with the total flea index exceeding the threshold of 1. We observed that X. brasilliensis (mean = 1.93 ± 0.56SE, p < 0.001) significantly increased the abundance of rodent fleas. Furthermore, households without keeping livestock under the same roof (mean = - 0.97 ± 0.16SE, p < 0.001) and not owning livestock (mean = -1. 45 ± 0.31SE, p < 0.001) had a higher likelihood of decreased house flea population than households sharing livestock under one roof. Similarly, houses with bed arrangements with a sleeping loft positively correlated with increased rodent flea abundance (mean = 1.88 ± 1.04SE, p = 0.07), strongly suggesting the importance of improving rural lifestyle. Enhancing public education on hygiene and flea control measures to reduce the risks of plague persistence and transmission in these rural communities is an increasing priority.
在一些非洲国家，鼠疫的持续存在仍是一个主要的健康问题。尽管一些跳蚤媒介在其传播中的作用广为人知，但导致人类鼠疫复发的局部因素仍知之甚少，这阻碍了在受影响社区采取潜在的疾病缓解措施。我们在坦桑尼亚北部的姆布卢区农村地区调查了跳蚤种群及其与家庭习惯的关系。我们使用灯光诱捕器（Ltrap）从宿主（3个物种的170只啮齿动物）和家庭室内环境中采集跳蚤样本。我们发现有七种跳蚤栖息在人类住所，其中巴西客蚤是最常见的物种，既寄生于啮齿动物，也存在于室内环境中。利比亚栉眼蚤以及其他三种跳蚤：犬栉首蚤、猫栉首蚤和印鼠客蚤，分别在啮齿动物和房屋环境中分布，这表明这些媒介存在生态位分离和不同的疾病传播风险。此外，在整个采样期间跳蚤指数有所变化，总跳蚤指数超过了1的阈值。我们观察到，巴西客蚤（平均值 = 1.93 ± 0.56标准误，p < 0.001）显著增加了啮齿动物跳蚤的数量。此外，与在同一屋檐下饲养牲畜的家庭相比，不在同一屋檐下饲养牲畜（平均值 = - 0.97 ± 0.16标准误，p < 0.001）以及不拥有牲畜（平均值 = -1.45 ± 0.31标准误，p < 0.001）的家庭，房屋内跳蚤数量减少的可能性更高。同样，带有睡铺的床铺布置的房屋与啮齿动物跳蚤数量增加呈正相关（平均值 = 1.88 ± 1.04标准误，p = 0.07），这有力地表明了改善农村生活方式的重要性。加强关于卫生和跳蚤控制措施的公众教育，以降低这些农村社区鼠疫持续存在和传播的风险，正变得越来越重要。
