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Early-phase Transmission of Yersinia pestis by Cat Fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) and Their Potential Role as Vectors in a Plague-endemic Region of Uganda

In recent decades, the majority of human plague cases (caused by Yersinia pestis) have been reported from Africa. In northwest Uganda, which has had recent plague outbreaks, cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) have been reported as the most common fleas in the home environment, which is suspected to be a major exposure site for human plague in this country. In the past, C. felis has been viewed as only a nuisance-biting insect because limited laboratory studies suggested it is incapable of transmitting Y. pestis or is an inefficient vector. Our laboratory study shows that C. felis is a competent vector of plague bacteria, but that efficiency is low compared with another flea species collected in the same area: the oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. On the other hand, despite its low vector efficiency, C. felis is the most common flea in human habitations in a plague-endemic region of Uganda (Arua and Nebbi Districts), and occasionally infests potential rodent reservoirs of Y. pestis such as the roof rat (Rattus rattus) or the Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus). Plague control programs in this region should remain focused on reducing rat flea populations, although our findings imply that cat fleas should not be ignored by these programs as they could play a significant role as secondary vectors.

Received January 22, 2008. Accepted for publication March 20, 2008.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank L. Eisen for comments on the manuscript and P. Collins, C. Williams, A. Ogen, N. Owor for logistical support. The authors are grateful to Asaph Ogen-Odoi, plague project manager, Uganda Virus Research Institute, who worked tirelessly on this project and passed away on December 14, 2006, while conducting plague field work in Arua.

^* Address correspondence to Rebecca J. Eisen, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, NCID/CDC 3150 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80522. E-mail: dyn2{at}cdc.gov

Authors’ addresses: Rebecca J. Eisen, Jeff N. Borchert, Jennifer L. Holmes, Kristen Van Wyk, Russell E. Enscore, Aryn P. Wilder, Sara M. Vetter, Scott W. Bearden, John A. Montenieri, and Kenneth L. Gage, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases NCID/CDC 3150 Rampart Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80522, Tel: 970-266-3523, Fax: 970-225-4257, E-mail: dyn2{at}cdc.gov. Gerald Amatre, Nackson Babi, and Linda A. Atiku, Uganda Virus Research Institute, P.O. Box 49, Entebbe Uganda, Tel: 256-041320385, E-mail: plague{at}ug.cdc.gov.