3.5.1 Flea species collected from rodents
Four species of fleas X.brasiliensis, X.cheopis, D.lypusus andCtenophthalmus spp that were collected from rodent community in
both plague and non-plague foci villages are all considered as potential
or likely to be potential for harboring and transmitting plague
infection from rodent to rodent or rodent to human being during the past
human plague outbreak in Karatu plague endemic area and elsewhere,
however their efficiency in plague transmission is different (Kilonzoet al ., 2006; Eisen et al ., 2007; Makundi et al .,
2008). The most efficient flea vector of plague infectious disease isX.cheopis that serves in circulating plague bacilli in both
enzootic and epizootic plague periods (Eisen and Gage, 2009). The high
vectoring potential of X.cheopis is depending on its exclusive
characteristic of proventricular spines that provides attachment area
for colonization of Y.pestis leading into formation of
proventricular blockage after taking blood meal from an infected host, a
situation which make X.cheopis to increase its daily biting rate
for sucking blood meal with multiple regurgitation on the biting site on
an attempt to unblock its proventriculus; therefore facilitating the
increase of transmission of infection compared to other fleas (Gage and
Kosoy, 2005; Korzun and Nikitin, 1997).
Similarly, D.lypusus and Ctenophthalmus spp are conceived
as enzootic plague vectors and they also facilitate rapid transmission
of the diseases during plague outbreak (Eisen and Gage, 2009; Ziwaet al ., 2013; Enscore et al ., 2020). D.lypusus andX.brasiliensis were conveyed as competent vectors for
transmission of plague disease during 2007 plague outbreak in Mbulu and
(1996/7) in Karatu plague endemic area (Kilonzo et al ., 2006;
Makundi et al ., 2008). Furthermore, D.lypusus were
reported in East Africa as a plague vector and an important enzootic
flea in the maintenance of Y.pestis (Devignat, 1949; Arapet al ., 1977; Kilonzo 1992). This suggested that these flea
species X.brasiliensis, X.cheopis and D.lypusus are
important fleas in the transmission and maintenance of plague bacilli in
plague endemic foci of Karatu district.