Associated factors contributing abundance of fleas on rodents in plague
endemic area of Karatu district, northern Tanzania.
Abstract
Fleas are small wingless hematophagous insect that are frequently
infesting on rodents and other small mammals while acting as reservoirs
and vectors of many rodent borne zoonotic diseases including plague
infectious disease which is threat to the public health in many part of
the world including Tanzania. 291 rodents from nine species were
captured with Sherman traps in farm land, peridomestic areas, bush land
and forest buffer zone across wet and dry season in plague and
non-plague foci villages. Captured rodents were anaesthetized and 190
fleas comprising four species were collected and morphologically
identified with available dichotomous key. Dinopsyllus lypusus were
(46.32%), Ctenophthalmus spp (26.84%), Xenopsylla brasiliensis
(16.32%) and Xenopsylla cheopis (10.53%). 38.42% of fleas were
collected from Mastomy natalensis, 22.63% from Lemniscomys striatus and
18.42% from Rattus rattus. Highest flea infestation prevalence was
found on R.rattus and was strongly associated with X.cheopis and
X.brasiliensis. Specific flea index of X.cheopis on R.rattus was (01) in
plague foci and (<0.5) in non-plague foci villages. Result of
GLM final model indicated that flea abundance was significant influenced
by rodent species (p < .001), season (p= .031), habitat type
(p= .02), rodent weight (p < .001), rodent sex (p <
.001) and plague locations (p= .02). There was significance difference
in variation of flea abundance between rodent sexes (W = 9158.5, p =
.009) and a weak positive correlation between rodent’s weight and
abundance of fleas (R= 0.17, p< 0.05). Despite that, specific
flea index of X.cheopis on rats in both plague foci and non-plague foci
villages were not indicating alarming condition that would require
urgent control of fleas, still society should consistently adhere to
rodent and fleas control methods in order to limit their interaction to
the society especially in farm land and peridomestic areas where human
activities are high.