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Kessy ST, Rija AA. Knowledge and practices related to plague persistence in plague-endemic foci, Mbulu District, Tanzania. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0012202. [PMID: 38814990 PMCID: PMC11166330 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Plague continues to be a major public health concern in African countries. Several social practices and environmental conditions have been associated with the reoccurrence of bubonic plague, especially in places where the disease is prevalent. Therefore, it remains important to understand people knowledge, behavior and practices related to disease risks in order to identify factors that may hinder prevention and control strategies in the foci. METHODS AND RESULTS A study survey of 100 households was conducted in Mbulu district to assess plague knowledge, factors that influence flea bite and measures used for rodent and flea control. Majority of participants (86%) were familiar with the plague disease and about (50%) mentioned swelling lymph nodes as a common symptom. Most of the participants (62%) claimed to observe human plague cases during the long rain season. The majority of participants (97%) reported to experience flea bite in their domestic settings, with most stating that they experienced more flea bites during the dry season. Houses with livestock had a greater likelihood of flea bite (OR = 2.7; 95% CI: 0.36-18.80, p = 0.267) compared to houses with no livestock. Furthermore, residents reported using both local and chemical methods to control rodents and flea inside houses. Most respondents preferred using local methods in flea control. Respondents stated that the efficacy of flea control methods being applied ranged from few days to several months. There was limited knowledge of the residual effects of the agricultural chemicals being used to control fleas among the surveyed community. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the importance of raising awareness and adopting effective control methods for controlling fleas and lower the risk of plague transmission and other flea borne diseases in the local communities. Sensitization of the local community on the use of appropriate chemicals for flea control is urgent to avoid any potential long-term impacts of the residual effects on the health of the local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella T. Kessy
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- The African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Rodent Pest Management and Biosensor Technology Development (ACE IRPM&BTD), Morogoro, Tanzania
- School of Life Science and Bio-Engineering (LiSBE), Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Alfan A. Rija
- Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Rodents during the Epizootic and Enzootic Periods of Plague, with a Focus on Exu, Northeastern Brazil. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6040195. [PMID: 34842850 PMCID: PMC8628941 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium is primarily a flea-transmitted zoonosis of rodents that can also be conveyed to humans and other mammals. In this work, we analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of rodent populations during epizootic and enzootic periods of the plague in the municipality of Exu, northeastern Brazil. The geospatial analyses showed that all the rodent species appeared through the whole territory of the municipality, with different occurrence hotspots for the different species. Important fluctuations in the rodent populations were observed, with a reduction in the wild rodent fauna following the end of a plague epizootic period, mostly represented by Necromys lasiurus and an increase in the commensal species Rattus rattus. A higher abundance of rats might lead to an increased exposure of human populations, favoring spillovers of plague and other rodent-borne diseases. Our analysis highlights the role of wild rodent species as amplifier hosts and of commensal rats (R. rattus) as preserver hosts in the enzootic period of a specific transmission infection area.
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Mahmoudi A, Kryštufek B, Sludsky A, Schmid BV, DE Almeida AMP, Lei X, Ramasindrazana B, Bertherat E, Yeszhanov A, Stenseth NC, Mostafavi E. Plague reservoir species throughout the world. Integr Zool 2021; 16:820-833. [PMID: 33264458 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Plague has been known since ancient times as a re-emerging infectious disease, causing considerable socioeconomic burden in regional hotspots. To better understand the epidemiological cycle of the causative agent of the plague, its potential occurrence, and possible future dispersion, one must carefully consider the taxonomy, distribution, and ecological requirements of reservoir-species in relation either to natural or human-driven changes (e.g. climate change or urbanization). In recent years, the depth of knowledge on species taxonomy and species composition in different landscapes has undergone a dramatic expansion, driven by modern taxonomic methods such as synthetic surveys that take into consideration morphology, genetics, and the ecological setting of captured animals to establish their species identities. Here, we consider the recent taxonomic changes of the rodent species in known plague reservoirs and detail their distribution across the world, with a particular focus on those rodents considered to be keystone host species. A complete checklist of all known plague-infectable vertebrates living in plague foci is provided as a Supporting Information table.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Mahmoudi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Urmia University, Iran
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Alexander Sludsky
- Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute «Microbe», Saratov, Russian Federation
| | - Boris V Schmid
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Xu Lei
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Eric Bertherat
- Department of Infectious Hazard Management, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aidyn Yeszhanov
- M.Aikimbaev's National Scientific Center for Especially Dangerous Infections, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Nils Chr Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ehsan Mostafavi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran
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4
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López-Berrizbeitia MF, Acosta-Gutiérrez R, Díaz MM. Fleas of mammals and patterns of distributional congruence in northwestern Argentina: A preliminary biogeographic analysis. Heliyon 2020; 6:e04871. [PMID: 32964163 PMCID: PMC7490545 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In few groups of parasites have the patterns of distribution been studied using quantitative methods, even though, the study of these organisms indirectly provides information on the biogeographic history of their hosts, and in turn, the history of the hosts allows elucidation of speciation events of the parasites. Our objective was to quantitatively identify distributional congruence patterns of native fleas in northwestern Argentina. We analyzed 159 georeferenced distributional records of 47 species and six subspecies of fleas in northwestern Argentina using NDM/VNDM software. We found eight consensus areas, defined by 17 species and two subspecies, included in six patterns of distributional congruence (PDCs) with endemic and non-endemic fleas. The PDCs with the greatest values of endemicity (E) were mainly associated with Monte and Yungas Forests areas. All patterns indicated strong tendency of the Yungas Forests as a possible endemism area. Our results indicate that distributional congruence centers are generally located in Yungas Forests areas and highlight the importance of these areas in conservation and historical biology. This new information will allow delimitation of areas in the region at a more detailed resolution in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Fernanda López-Berrizbeitia
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, San Miguel de Tucumán, CP 4000, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Roxana Acosta-Gutiérrez
- Museo de Zoología “Alfonso L. Herrera”, Departamento de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), CDMX, Mexico
| | - M. Mónica Díaz
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, San Miguel de Tucumán, CP 4000, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
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5
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REIS DA SILVA FERNANDES DL, FILGUEIRA BEZERRA M, SOBREIRA BEZERRA DA SILVA M, LEAL NC, DE SOUZA REIS CR, DE ALMEIDA AMP. Rodent hosts and flea vectors in Brazilian plague foci: a review. Integr Zool 2020; 16:810-819. [DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nilma Cintra LEAL
- Nacional Reference Service for PlagueInstitut Aggeu Magalhães—FIOCRUZ PE Recife PE Brazil
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Vallès X, Stenseth NC, Demeure C, Horby P, Mead PS, Cabanillas O, Ratsitorahina M, Rajerison M, Andrianaivoarimanana V, Ramasindrazana B, Pizarro-Cerda J, Scholz HC, Girod R, Hinnebusch BJ, Vigan-Womas I, Fontanet A, Wagner DM, Telfer S, Yazdanpanah Y, Tortosa P, Carrara G, Deuve J, Belmain SR, D’Ortenzio E, Baril L. Human plague: An old scourge that needs new answers. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008251. [PMID: 32853251 PMCID: PMC7451524 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the bacterial causative agent of plague, remains an important threat to human health. Plague is a rodent-borne disease that has historically shown an outstanding ability to colonize and persist across different species, habitats, and environments while provoking sporadic cases, outbreaks, and deadly global epidemics among humans. Between September and November 2017, an outbreak of urban pneumonic plague was declared in Madagascar, which refocused the attention of the scientific community on this ancient human scourge. Given recent trends and plague's resilience to control in the wild, its high fatality rate in humans without early treatment, and its capacity to disrupt social and healthcare systems, human plague should be considered as a neglected threat. A workshop was held in Paris in July 2018 to review current knowledge about plague and to identify the scientific research priorities to eradicate plague as a human threat. It was concluded that an urgent commitment is needed to develop and fund a strong research agenda aiming to fill the current knowledge gaps structured around 4 main axes: (i) an improved understanding of the ecological interactions among the reservoir, vector, pathogen, and environment; (ii) human and societal responses; (iii) improved diagnostic tools and case management; and (iv) vaccine development. These axes should be cross-cutting, translational, and focused on delivering context-specific strategies. Results of this research should feed a global control and prevention strategy within a "One Health" approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Vallès
- Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Key Laboratory for Earth System Modelling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Christian Demeure
- Yersinia Research Unit, National Reference Centre “Plague & Other Yersinioses,” WHO Collaborating Research and Reference Centre for Yersinia, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Peter Horby
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Paul S. Mead
- Bacterial Diseases Branch, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Oswaldo Cabanillas
- Control de Epidemia Desastres y Otras Emergencias Sanitarias, Oficina General de Epidemiologia, Ministerio de Salud, Perúu
| | - Mahery Ratsitorahina
- Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Minoarisoa Rajerison
- Plague Unit, Central Laboratory for Plague, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Beza Ramasindrazana
- Plague Unit, Central Laboratory for Plague, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Javier Pizarro-Cerda
- Yersinia Research Unit, National Reference Centre “Plague & Other Yersinioses,” WHO Collaborating Research and Reference Centre for Yersinia, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Holger C. Scholz
- Reference Laboratory for Plague, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany
| | - Romain Girod
- Medical Entomology Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - B. Joseph Hinnebusch
- Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Health, National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Hamilton, Montana, United States of America
| | - Ines Vigan-Womas
- Immunology of Infectious Diseases Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Arnaud Fontanet
- Emerging Diseases Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- PACRI unit, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
| | - David M. Wagner
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Sandra Telfer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Yazdan Yazdanpanah
- REACTing, Inserm, Université Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- Université de La Réunion, Unité Mixte de Recherche Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical, La Réunion, France
| | - Guia Carrara
- REACTing, Inserm, Université Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Jane Deuve
- Department of International Affairs, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Steven R. Belmain
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Eric D’Ortenzio
- REACTing, Inserm, Université Paris-Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Service de Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Laurence Baril
- Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Madagascar, Antananarivo, Madagascar
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Sun Z, Xu L, Schmid BV, Dean KR, Zhang Z, Xie Y, Fang X, Wang S, Liu Q, Lyu B, Wan X, Xu J, Stenseth NC, Xu B. Human plague system associated with rodent diversity and other environmental factors. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190216. [PMID: 31312490 PMCID: PMC6599787 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plague remains a threat to public health and is considered as a re-emerging infectious disease today. Rodents play an important role as major hosts in plague persistence and driving plague outbreaks in natural foci; however, few studies have tested the association between host diversity in ecosystems and human plague risk. Here we use zero-inflated generalized additive models to examine the association of species richness with human plague presence (where plague outbreaks could occur) and intensity (the average number of annual human cases when they occurred) in China during the Third Pandemic. We also account for transportation network density, annual precipitation levels and human population size. We found rodent species richness, particularly of rodent plague hosts, is positively associated with the presence of human plague. Further investigation shows that species richness of both wild and commensal rodent plague hosts are positively correlated with the presence, but only the latter correlated with the intensity. Our results indicated a positive relationship between rodent diversity and human plague, which may provide suggestions for the plague surveillance system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Sun
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
- Joint Center for Global Change Studies, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
- Joint Center for Global Change Studies, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Boris V. Schmid
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Katharine R. Dean
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiye Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuchun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Baolei Lyu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinru Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management on Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianguo Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changping, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
- Joint Center for Global Change Studies, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
| | - Bing Xu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
- Joint Center for Global Change Studies, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China
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8
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López Berrizbeitia MF, Hastriter MW, Barquez RM, Díaz MM. Fleas of the genus Tetrapsyllus (Siphonaptera:Rhopalopsyllidae) associated with rodents from Northwestern Argentina. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE 2019; 9:80-89. [PMID: 31011530 PMCID: PMC6463550 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A new species of flea (Siphonaptera: Rhopalopsyllidae) is described from sigmodontine rodents collected during a survey of small mammals in northwestern Argentina. The new species belongs to the subgenus Tetrapsyllus and can be distinguished from all species of the subgenus by characteristics of the modified abdominal segments and genitalia. A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tetrapsyllus using morphological characters is presented and the analysis supports the erection of this new Tetrapsyllus species in the subgenus Tetrapsyllus. The unique occurrence of a sinus in the caudal margin of the sixth sternite of females that is present only in the subgenus Tetrapsyllus (also unique across the Order Siphonaptera) is provided with a discussion of how this adaptation is mirrored in the parallel development of a spur on the sclerotized inner tube of males. Additional host and locality data are recorded for Tetrapsyllus (P.) bleptus. A key to the genus Tetrapsyllus is provided. The increased diversity of flea fauna bordering a known plague endemic area in northwestern Argentina may prove useful in implementing sustainable control measures in the future. One new species of fleas of the genus Tetrapsyllus is described from sigmodontine rodents from Northwestern Argentina. Host and locality data are recorded for Tetrapsyllus (P.) bleptus. The contributions increase the diversity of flea fauna in northwestern Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fernanda López Berrizbeitia
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de Los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, San Miguel de Tucumán, CP, 4000, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.,Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Michael W Hastriter
- Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 290 MLBM, PO Box 20200, Provo, UT, 84602-0200, USA
| | - Rubén M Barquez
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de Los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, San Miguel de Tucumán, CP, 4000, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina
| | - M Mónica Díaz
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de Los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, San Miguel de Tucumán, CP, 4000, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Tucumán, Argentina.,Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
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Sanchez J, Lareschi M, Salazar-Bravo J, Gardner SL. Fleas of the genus Neotyphloceras associated with rodents from Bolivia: new host and distributional records, description of a new species and remarks on the morphology of Neotyphloceras rosenbergi. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 32:462-472. [PMID: 30027674 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The flea genus Neotyphloceras Rothschild (Siphonaptera: Ctenophthalmidae) includes five species and two subspecies distributed from Venezuela to southern Chile and Argentina. Only Neotyphloceras crassispina hemisus Jordan has been registered in Bolivia. The present study examines species of Neotyphloceras collected in Bolivian localities in the Departments of La Paz, Cochabamba and Tarija, and describes the morphology of the modified abdominal segments in males and females of Neotyphloceras rosenbergi Rothschild on the basis of type material and specimens collected from Tarija. A new species, Neotyphloceras boliviensis n. sp., is described and new host associations are reported for N. rosenbergi, Neotyphloceras crassispina crassispina and N. crassispina hemisus. Neotyphloceras c. crassispina and N. rosenbergi are reported for the first time in Bolivia. The distribution of N. rosenbergi is extended 1600 km to the south. Given the potential medical and veterinary significance of fleas as disease vectors, and considering that in the Departments of La Paz and Tarija several human cases of plague have been reported, and species of flea have been identified as main vectors of these diseases, the new records of fleas in Bolivia reported herein may be useful for epidemiological studies on flea-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Sanchez
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CIT NOBA) (CONICET-UNNOBA), Pergamino, Argentina
| | - M Lareschi
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE) (CCT La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), La Plata, Argentina
| | - J Salazar-Bravo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, U.S.A
| | - S L Gardner
- Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska State Museum, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, U.S.A
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Expansion of the range of Necromys lasiurus (Lund, 1841) into open areas of the Atlantic Forest biome in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, and the role of the species as a host of the hantavirus. Acta Trop 2018; 188:195-205. [PMID: 30149024 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2018.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Necromys lasiurus is a generalist rodent that is thought to be the main reservoir of the Araraquara hantavirus, which causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna. This species occurs naturally in the open habitats of the Cerrado, Pantanal and Caatinga biomes, where it often occurs at high densities, although the distribution of the species has recently been observed expanding into the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. This study aimed to map the occurrence of N. lasiurus within the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro state and discuss the potential role of the species as a reservoir of the Araraquara hantavirus in these areas. The study was based on a comprehensive literature search and four expeditions for the collection of specimens in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The data were used to predict the distribution of N. lasiurus, confirm the distribution of the species in the state, and detect the rates of hantavirus infection in these rodents. Necromys lasiurus has been recorded at 16 localities in 10 municipalities of Rio de Janeiro state. The relative abundance of N. lasiurus was low at all localities, except for the REBIO Poço das Antas and APA-BRSJ, two protected areas. Necromys lasiurus was associated primarily with landscapes dominated by farmland (plantations or pasture) at relatively low altitudes in the vicinity of bodies of water. A total of 204 serum samples were collected, but none were reactive for hantavirus. The distribution of N. lasiurus is expanding into many areas of the anthropogenic matrix, but it is not usually either abundant or dominant in these areas. The relatively reduced abundance of N. lasiurus in Rio de Janeiro and the lack of infection in all the areas investigated indicate that it is unlikely to be a reservoir of hantavirus in this region in the near future.
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ZEPPELINI CAIOG, DE ALMEIDA ALZIRAM, CORDEIRO-ESTRELA PEDRO. Ongoing quiescence in the Borborema Plateau Plague focus (Paraiba, Brazil). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 90:3007-3015. [DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201820170977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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López-Berrizbeitia MF, Sanchez J, Barquez RM, Díaz MM. Descriptions of two new species of flea of the genus Plocopsylla in northwestern Argentina. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2018; 32:334-345. [PMID: 29607524 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Two new species of flea of the genus Plocopsylla, subgenus Plocopsylla, (Siphonaptera: Stephanocircidae) collected from sigmodontine rodents in northwestern Argentina are described and a key to identification of species of the genus Plocopsylla, subgenus Plocopsylla, in Argentina is presented. Plocopsylla (P.) inti is cited for the first time in Argentina, extending its distribution ∼ 970 km further south than previously documented. New locality data and flea-host associations are recorded. The contributions of this study are relevant because they increase knowledge of the diversity of flea fauna in northwestern Argentina bordering a plague endemic area and will be useful in the implementation of plague control management plans in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F López-Berrizbeitia
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - J Sanchez
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CITNOBA) (CONICET-UNNOBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - R M Barquez
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - M M Díaz
- Programa de Investigaciones de Biodiversidad Argentina (PIDBA), Programa de Conservación de los Murciélagos de Argentina (PCMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
- Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina
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Zeppelini CG, de Almeida AMP, Cordeiro-Estrela P. Zoonoses As Ecological Entities: A Case Review of Plague. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004949. [PMID: 27711205 PMCID: PMC5053604 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As a zoonosis, Plague is also an ecological entity, a complex system of ecological interactions between the pathogen, the hosts, and the spatiotemporal variations of its ecosystems. Five reservoir system models have been proposed: (i) assemblages of small mammals with different levels of susceptibility and roles in the maintenance and amplification of the cycle; (ii) species-specific chronic infection models; (ii) flea vectors as the true reservoirs; (iii) Telluric Plague, and (iv) a metapopulation arrangement for species with a discrete spatial organization, following a source-sink dynamic of extinction and recolonization with naïve potential hosts. The diversity of the community that harbors the reservoir system affects the transmission cycle by predation, competition, and dilution effect. Plague has notable environmental constraints, depending on altitude (500+ meters), warm and dry climates, and conditions for high productivity events for expansion of the transmission cycle. Human impacts are altering Plague dynamics by altering landscape and the faunal composition of the foci and adjacent areas, usually increasing the presence and number of human cases and outbreaks. Climatic change is also affecting the range of its occurrence. In the current transitional state of zoonosis as a whole, Plague is at risk of becoming a public health problem in poor countries where ecosystem erosion, anthropic invasion of new areas, and climate change increase the contact of the population with reservoir systems, giving new urgency for ecologic research that further details its maintenance in the wild, the spillover events, and how it links to human cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caio Graco Zeppelini
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
- Laboratório de Mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
| | - Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida
- Centro de Pesquisa Aggeu Magalhães Fiocruz, Campus da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Pedro Cordeiro-Estrela
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
- Laboratório de Mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
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