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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 ]
Flea bites in humans. Fleas feed on a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, ferrets, rats, mice, birds, and sometimes humans. Fleas normally specialise in one host species or group of species, but can often feed but not reproduce on other species.
Fleas cannot withstand high temperatures, so a turn through the dryer on medium or high kills fleas on clothing. [10] Water and detergent. Fleas can be drowned by immersion for about 24 hours; they may appear to be dead if immersed for shorter times, but can revive after some hours. [11]
The most infamous flea-to-human transmitted disease is the bubonic plague, which was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The plague, fevers, tularemia: The diseases fleas can carry and how to ...
Humans have their own species of fleas, Cohen said, but they can't live long off of people. She said a main determinant if you have fleas are long itchy red bites on the skin.
Bubonic plague outbreaks are controlled by pest control and modern sanitation techniques. This disease uses fleas commonly found on rats as a vector to jump from animals to humans. The mortality rate is highest in the summer and early fall. [26] The successful control of rat populations in dense urban areas is essential to outbreak prevention.
Pulicosis is a skin condition caused by several species of fleas, including the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis). This condition can range from mild irritation to severe irritation. In some cases, 48 to 72 hours after being bitten, a more severe rash-like irritation may begin to spread across the body.
Northern rat fleas are external parasites, living by hematophagy off the blood of rodents. N. fasciatus can bite humans, but they are more common parasites of rodents. [1] 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 ...