TY - JOUR
T1 - Correlation of host specificity, environmental factors and oriental rat flea abundance
AU - Chotelersak, Kruawan
AU - Apiwathnasorn, Chamnarn
AU - Sungvornyothin, Sungsit
AU - Panasoponkul, Chotechuang
AU - Samung, Yudthana
AU - Ruangsittichai, Jiraporn
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Southeast Asian Journal of Medicine and Public Health. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Fleas are the vectors of many communicable diseases that are normally found in oriental rats. Climate and environmental changes influence the habitat and migration patterns of vectors. In this study, the oriental rat flea abundance, represented as total flea index, was determined in correlation to host specificity and various environmental factors. The number of hosts and fleas calculated from 3 specific habitats (shipping area, decayed area, and market area) from July 2010 to June 2011. The results showed that the common hosts in the shipping area and decayed area were Rattus rattus and R. exulans, with the total flea indexes of 3.36 and 1.58. R. norvegicus was the most common host identified in the market area. Fleas were virtually absent in rat hosts collected from the market area. Both the density of reservoir hosts and the total flea index were positively correlated with the mean annual rainfall and temperature. These data could be useful for control of rat populations in each specific habitat.
AB - Fleas are the vectors of many communicable diseases that are normally found in oriental rats. Climate and environmental changes influence the habitat and migration patterns of vectors. In this study, the oriental rat flea abundance, represented as total flea index, was determined in correlation to host specificity and various environmental factors. The number of hosts and fleas calculated from 3 specific habitats (shipping area, decayed area, and market area) from July 2010 to June 2011. The results showed that the common hosts in the shipping area and decayed area were Rattus rattus and R. exulans, with the total flea indexes of 3.36 and 1.58. R. norvegicus was the most common host identified in the market area. Fleas were virtually absent in rat hosts collected from the market area. Both the density of reservoir hosts and the total flea index were positively correlated with the mean annual rainfall and temperature. These data could be useful for control of rat populations in each specific habitat.
KW - Climate
KW - Flea index
KW - Rat flea
KW - Rodent
KW - Thailand
KW - Xenopsylla cheopis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84944872934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 26513922
AN - SCOPUS:84944872934
SN - 0125-1562
VL - 46
SP - 198
EP - 206
JO - Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health
JF - Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health
IS - 2
ER -