Publications

seroepidemiology of rickettsial infections in northeast india.	resurgence of scrub typhus was reported in northeast india in 2010 after a gap of 67 years since world war ii. however, the presence of other rickettsial infections remained unknown from this region. a seroepidemiological investigation was undertaken in the scrub typhus affected areas from 2013-2015 in assam, arunachal pradesh and nagaland to assess the exposure to other rickettsial diseases besides scrub typhus.	2016	27618917
flea species infesting dogs in spain: updated spatial and seasonal distribution patterns.	this entomological survey examines the spatial and seasonal distribution patterns of flea species infesting dogs in spain. bioclimatic zones covering broad climate and vegetation ranges were surveyed according to size. in a cross-sectional spatial survey carried out from late may 2013 to mid-july 2015, 1084 dogs from 42 different locations were examined. a total of 3032 fleas were collected and identified as belonging to the following species: ctenocephalides felis (siphonaptera: pulicidae) (81. ...	2017	27790728
parasites and vector-borne diseases in client-owned dogs in albania: infestation with arthropod ectoparasites.	to establish the diversity and seasonality of ectoparasite infestation in client-owned dogs in albania, 602 dogs visiting four small animal clinics in tirana from march 2010 to april 2011 inclusive were examined for ectoparasites by full body search and total body comb. in addition, ear swab specimens collected from all dogs and scrapings taken from skin lesions suspicious of mite infestation were examined for parasitic mites. overall, 93 dogs (15.4 %, 95%ci 12.6-18.6) were demonstrated to be in ...	2017	27796564
does hair coat length affect flea infestation in naturally infested dogs?	the siphonaptera are parasitic insects of endothermic animals and ctenocephalides felis and pulex irritans are important parasites of dogs. this study evaluated the effect of hair coat length and time of year on the population size of c. felis and p. irritans in naturally infested dogs. fleas were collected from 14 dogs on a monthly basis for a year (february 2015 to january 2016) at a rural property in bagé, rio grande do sul, brazil. the dogs were divided into two groups based on hair coat len ...	2016	27925064
prevalence and phylogenetic analysis of bartonella species of wild carnivores and their fleas in northwestern mexico.	the host-parasite-vector relationship of bartonella spp. system in wild carnivores and their fleas from northwestern mexico was investigated. sixty-six carnivores belonging to eight species were sampled, and 285 fleas belonging to three species were collected during spring (april-may) and fall (october-november) seasons. we detected bartonella species in 7 carnivores (10.6%) and 27 fleas (9.5%) through either blood culture or pcr. of the 27 bartonella-positive fleas, twenty-two were pulex simula ...	2017	28197898
bartonella species pathogenic for humans infect pets, free-ranging wild mammals and their ectoparasites in the caatinga biome, northeastern brazil: a serological and molecular study.	this study verified the occurrence of bartonella spp. in dogs, cats, wild mammals and their ectoparasites in petrolina and lagoa grande counties, pernambuco, located in a semi-arid region in northeastern brazil. anti-bartonella spp. antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay (ifa) in 24.8% of dogs (27/109) and in 15% of cats (6/40). bartonella sp. dna was identified by pcr performed on dna extracted from blood and ectoparasites using primers targeting bartonella sp. glta and r ...	2017	28249707
molecular and serological evidence of flea-associated typhus group and spotted fever group rickettsial infections in madagascar.	rickettsiae are obligate intracellular bacteria responsible for many febrile syndromes around the world, including in sub-saharan africa. vectors of these pathogens include ticks, lice, mites and fleas. in order to assess exposure to flea-associated rickettsia species in madagascar, human and small mammal samples from an urban and a rural area, and their associated fleas were tested.	2017	28259176
first detection of rickettsia typhi and rickettsia felis in fleas collected from client-owned companion animals in the southern great plains.	flea-borne rickettsiosis occurs worldwide and includes a number of pathogens, namely, rickettsia typhi and rickettsia felis. most studies in the united states have occurred in southern texas and california where flea-borne rickettsiosis is endemic, resulting in a lack of information from other regions of the country. between march and august 2016, 222 fleas were collected from 52 client-owned dogs and cats in two urban areas in oklahoma. fleas were identified using morphological characteristics ...	2017	28399210
high prevalence of rickettsia spp. in dog fleas (siphonaptera: pulicidae) in rural uganda.	fleas are known vectors of zoonotic agents. thirty-five fleas, including 28 ctenocephalides felis (bouché), four pulex irritans (l.), and three echidnophaga gallinacea (westwood) from 19 rural dogs from southwestern uganda were analyzed for the presence of rickettsia spp. (ompb, glta, and 17 kda fragment genes) and bartonella spp. (rpob and its genes) by pcr. rickettsial dna was detected in 27 out of 28 of ct. felis and in two out of four p. irritans. none of the e. gallinacea specimens harbored ...	2017	28399271
diversity of flea (siphonaptera) parasites on red foxes (vulpes vulpes) in romania.	red foxes (vulpes vulpes (l.)) are widespread across europe, tolerant of synanthropic ecosystems, and susceptible to diseases potentially shared with humans and other animals. we describe flea fauna on red foxes in romania, a large, ecologically diverse country, in part because fleas may serve as an indicator of the risk of spillover of vector-borne disease. we found 912 individual fleas of seven species on the 305 foxes assessed, for an infestation prevalence of 49.5%. mean flea load per fox wa ...	2017	28399300
prevalence and intensity of fleas parasitizing an isolated population of screaming hairy armadillo in buenos aires province, argentina: host-related factors and temporal dynamics.	fleas (siphonaptera) of an isolated population of chaetophractus vellerosus (mammalia: xenarthra) from magdalena (buenos aires province) were studied, and their presence was associated with host-related factors (age, sex, weight, size, and physical condition) and temporal dynamics (seasonality and year). three species of fleas were identified: polygenis (polygenis) platensis (rhopalopsyllidae), tunga penetrans (tungidae), and pulex irritans (pulicidae). prevalences were significant for year, sea ...	2017	28842764
first molecular detection and characterization of zoonotic bartonella species in fleas infesting domestic animals in tunisia.	bartonellosis is an emerging vector-borne disease caused by different intracellular bacteria of the genus bartonella (rhizobiales: bartonellaceae) that is transmitted primarily by blood-sucking arthropods such as sandflies, ticks and fleas. in tunisia, there are no data available identifying the vectors of bartonella spp. in our research, we used molecular methods to detect and characterize bartonella species circulating in fleas collected from domestic animals in several of the country's biocli ...	2017	28927427
repellency effect of essential oils of some native plants and synthetic repellents against human flea, pulex irritans (siphonaptera: pulicidae).	fleas are important vectors of human and animal disease, and control measures for protection against their bites and flea-borne diseases are necessary.	2017	29026857
human ectoparasites and the spread of plague in europe during the second pandemic.	plague, caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, can spread through human populations by multiple transmission pathways. today, most human plague cases are bubonic, caused by spillover of infected fleas from rodent epizootics, or pneumonic, caused by inhalation of infectious droplets. however, little is known about the historical spread of plague in europe during the second pandemic (14-19th centuries), including the black death, which led to high mortality and recurrent epidemics for hundreds o ...	2018	29339508