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There are more than 2,000 species of tiny (0.04 to 0.15 inches), wingless, blood-sucking fleas that live on the body of the host they infest. Although fleas cannot fly, they have developed ...
Fleas are vectors for viral, bacterial and rickettsial diseases of humans and other animals, as well as of protozoan and helminth parasites. [35] Bacterial diseases carried by fleas include murine or endemic typhus [34]: 124 and bubonic plague. [36] Fleas can transmit Rickettsia typhi, Rickettsia felis, Bartonella henselae, and the myxomatosis ...
The human flea (Pulex irritans) – once also called the house flea [1] – is a cosmopolitan flea species that has, in spite of the common name, a wide host spectrum. It is one of six species in the genus Pulex ; the other five are all confined to the Nearctic and Neotropical realms . [ 2 ]
Since they are associated with humans, they are common disease vectors that can spread from animals to humans. Diseases that can be spread through fleas include the plague and typhus. [1] The rat flea is widespread due to their relationship to rodents and other vertebrates. [2] They can be found co-infecting their host with other parasites. [3]
The pests live in four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult fleas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adults are commonly found on pets and feast on their blood for ...
Myiasis (/ m aɪ. ˈ aɪ. ə. s ə s / my-EYE-ə-səss [1]), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue.
This process mechanically transmits pathogens that may cause diseases it might carry. Fleas smell exhaled carbon dioxide from humans and animals and jump rapidly to the source to feed on the newly found host. The flea is wingless so it can not fly, but it can jump long distances with the help of small, powerful legs.
The disease can be fatal if left untreated, but endemic typhus is highly treatable with antibiotics. Most people recover fully, but death may occur in the elderly, severely disabled or patients with a depressed immune system. The most effective antibiotics include tetracycline and chloramphenicol.