Volume 12, Number 5—May 2006
Dispatch
Rickettsia felis in Fleas, Western Australia
Drew Schloderer*, Helen Owen*
, Phillip Clark*, John Stenos†, and Stanley G. Fenwick*
, Phillip Clark*, John Stenos†, and Stanley G. Fenwick*
Table
Flea species positive for rickettsiae from dogs and cats in Western Australia*
| Location | Animal | No. animals | No. flea pools | Flea species | No. gltA+ompA+ (%) | Genes sequenced† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broome | Dog | 4 | 4 | Echidnophaga gallinacea | 2 (50) | ns |
| Geraldton | Cat | 17 | 14 | Ctenocephalides felis | 6 (43) | ns |
| 3 | E. gallinacea | 1 (33) | ns | |||
| Dog‡ | 38 | 30 | C. felis | 14 (46) | ns | |
| 10 | E. gallinacea | 2 (20) | ns | |||
| Pinjarra | Cat | 1 | 1 | C. felis | 0 (0) | |
| Dog | 7 | 7 | C. felis | 3 (43) | gltA | |
| Manjimup | Cat | 4 | 4 | C. felis | 1 (25) | ns |
| Dog | 6 | 6 | C. felis | 3 (50) | gltA | |
| Bunbury | Cat | 5 | 5 | C. felis | 2 (40) | ns |
| Dog | 6 | 6 | C. felis | 3 (50) | gltA | |
| Busselton | Cat | 10 | 8 | C. felis | 3 (38) | ns |
| 2 | Spilopsyllus cuniculi | 0 | ||||
| Dog§ | 33 | 28 | C. felis | 6 (21) | gltA, ompA | |
| 7 | C. canis | 0 | ||||
| 1 | E. gallinacea | 0 | ||||
| Augusta | Cat | 1 | 1 | C. felis | 0 | |
| Dog | 2 | 2 | C. felis | 1 (50) | gltA | |
| Albany | Dog | 10 | 10 | C. felis | 5 (50) | gltA |
| Esperance | Cat | 5 | 5 | C. felis | 3 (60) | ns |
| Dog¶ | 10 | 10 | C. felis | 3 (30) | ns | |
| 1 | E. gallinacea | 0 |
*Fleas were collected from 116 dogs and 43 cats. 6 animals were co-infected with 2 different species of fleas as indicated.
†ns, no sequencing performed on this sample; gltA–gltA segment sequenced; ompA–ompA gene segment sequenced.
‡Two dogs had C. felis and E. gallinacea.
§One dog had C. felis and E. gallinacea, 2 dogs had C. felis and C. canis.
¶One dog had C. felis and E. galli
Page created: January 12, 2012
Page updated: January 12, 2012
Page reviewed: January 12, 2012
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.