Molecular identification of rickettsia‐like microorganisms associated with colonized cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis)
Abstract
Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) from eight commercial flea colonies from various regions of the USA were examined by selective PCR amplification, and subsequent restriction digest analysis and Southern hybridization of PCR products, for the presence of a rickettsia‐like organism (ELB agent). These flea colonies were either started with fleas from one supplier (EL Labs), in which ELB agent was first identified, or were started with fleas from stray cats and dogs and later came into contact with ELB‐infected fleas. Infection rates in the colonies ranged from 43% to 93%. The successful propagation of ELB agent in these colonies may be due to efficient trans‐stadial and transovaria) transmission. While ELB agent has recently been identified in blood from human murine typhus cases, attempts to infect mammalian cells and SCID mice with flea isolates were unsuccessful.
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Rickettsia felis is a pathogen mainly transmitted by the cat flea and suspected to induce a murine typhus-like illness in humans, and it is worldwide distributed due to the global dispersion of C. felis, the number of infected cats and the possibility of transstadial and transovarial transmission in fleas.
“Rickettsia felis, a pathogen mainly transmitted by the cat flea [34] and suspected to induce a murine typhus-like illness in humans, is worldwide distributed, due to the global dispersion of C. felis, the number of infected cats and the possibility of transstadial and transovarial transmission in fleas [35-37].”
From Fleas infesting pets in the era of emerging extra-intestinal nematodes (2013) · cites this paper as [36]
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Ecology of <I>Rickettsia felis</I>: A Review
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- Authors
- Higgins, J. A., Sacci, J. B., Schriefer, M. E., Endris, R. G., & Azad, A. F.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
- Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Azad, A. F.
- ORCID
- Azad, A. F.
- Venue
- Insect Molecular Biology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1994-02
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 27-33
- ISSN
- 0962-1075 (ISSN-L)
- 1365-2583
- OpenAlex
- W2093568715
- Cited by
- 51
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 0.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Insect Molecular Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Public Health Service (AL-17828)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Bartonella species infections research
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Keywords
- Ctenocephalides felis, infection rate, transovarial transmission, murine typhus, molecular identification, flea-borne pathogens
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Antigens, Bacterial, Base Sequence, Cats, DNA, Bacterial, Dogs, Female, Siphonaptera, Humans, Male, Molecular Sequence Data, Rickettsia, Symbiosis, Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Mice
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