The commensal rodents and their flea fauna in Alexandria City, Egypt
Morsy, T.A.; el-Ela, R.G.; el Gozamy, B.M.
Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 18(1): 11-28
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 1110-0583 PMID: 3373038 Document Number: 558
Alexandria city is distinguished by the presence of Rattus norvegicus which is more common than Rattus rattus alexandrinus and Mus musculus. Their intimate association with man, is of great potential danger as carriers and disseminators of serious pathogens. Control programme should be embarked in the city. In addition, proper environmental sanitation and health education are essential to achieve success. Fleas represent the main ectoparasite infesting commensal rodents. Ticks ranked second and bedbugs and mites were the same at level three with the lowest infestation rate. Four species of fleas were encountered. Xenopsylla cheopis, Leptopsyllus sergis, Ctenocephalides felis and Pulex irritans. X. cheopis was the predominant species accounting for 81.45% of the collected fleas. A major proportion of fleas was collected from Rattus rattus alexandrinus while Rattus norvegicus was less and M. musculus was the least of the collected fleas. The flea index and the infestation rate were directly related to the host's body size. The medical importance of both the commensal rodents and their flea fauna was discussed.
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