Comparison of Flea (Siphonaptera) Burdens on the Endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica (Carnivora, Canidae)) Inhabiting Urban and Nonurban Environments in Central Valley, California

Marked host association and molecular evidence of limited transmission of ticks and fleas between sympatric wild foxes and rural dogs

Wild and domestic carnivores share ectoparasites, although molecular evidence is lacking. The goals of this study were to describe tick and flea infestation in sympatric free-ranging dogs Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora: Canidae) and Andean foxes Lycalopex culpaeus (Molina, 1782) (Carnivora: Canidae) and to determine whether interspecific transmission occurs. Fleas and ticks retrieved from 79 foxes and 111 dogs in the human-dominated landscapes of central Chile were identified and a subset of specimens characterized by PCR and amplicon sequencing. Each ectoparasite species was clearly associated with a host: abundance and occurrence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Ctenocephalides spp. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) were significantly higher in dogs than in foxes, whereas the opposite was true for Amblyomma tigrinum (Koch, 1844) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Pulex irritans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Genetic analyses of a subset of ectoparasites revealed that dogs and foxes shared a limited number of nucleotide sequence types, suggesting that the interspecific transmission of these ectoparasites happens infrequently. Data also indicated that the ecological association and biological cycles of ticks and fleas determine the ectoparasite fauna of sympatric carnivores. In conclusion, our study shows that cross-species transmission should be assessed at a molecular level.

Infection rate and molecular characterization of Echidnophaga gallinacea in chickens from Matrouh Governorate, Egypt

Echidnophaga gallinacea is the sticktight flea of chickens. It causes dermatitis and ulcers in the skin and carries some disease-causing agents such as Rickettsia and Bartonella. This study was conducted to detect the infection rate and elucidate the molecular characterization of E. gallinacea in chickens from El-Dabaa City, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt. The fleas were collected from infected chickens and identified morphologically. The internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) gene PCR method was used for molecular characterization. Based on the morphology, the collected fleas were confirmed as E. gallinacea. The overall infection rate was 5%, with 4.5% in female and 10% in male chickens. ITS-1 PCR revealed a specific band of 488 bp. The ITS-1 gene sequence from Egypt occurred in the same phylogenetic clade as that from Cameroon, with a percentage identity of 98.47%.