Journal of Parasitic Diseases

, Volume 40, Issue 1, pp 169–175 | Cite as

Faunal distribution of fleas and their blood-feeding preferences using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays from farm animals and human shelters in a new rural region of southern Iran

  • Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard
  • Bahador Shahriari
  • Kourosh Azizi
  • Mohammad Reza Fakoorziba
  • Jalal Mohammadi
  • Masoume Amin
Original Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Blood sucking insects, such as fleas, are responsible for the transmission of many infectious disease-causing agents which impose an intolerable burden on the health of people living particularly in endemic parts of the world. Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are found in many parts of the world including Iran. Both adult male and female fleas are obligatory ectoparasites. They are one of the main public health concerns as a result of their nuisance or the potential to act as vectors of a number of medically-important pathogens. The current study was conducted to examine the geographical distribution and fauna of fleas and their anthropophagic index in part of Fars province, southern Iran. This study was the first to be done in Iran. A total of 20 villages were randomly selected. From October 2011 to May 2012, adult fleas were collected by direct hand catch from human to animal shelters. Overall 848 fleas, most of which were blood-fed, were captured from the floor or the body of farm animal hosts (cattle, sheep, goat and hens). Only two different genera of fleas were identified, the main species (99.76 %) was human flea, Pulex irritans. The village of Shamsabad was the most heavily infested area. P. irritans had an anthropophagic index of 15 % using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). It could be concluded that P. irritans is widely distributed in this area. Based on their blood feeding activity, fleas thus posed a serious health threat to residents and their economically important livestock in this part of Iran.

Keywords

Fleas Pulex Fauna ELISA Iran 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the improvements to this article that were meticulously proposed by the anonymous peer reviewers. The present paper was extracted from the results of an approved student MSc. thesis in Medical Entomology (No: 90–3191 Dated 8th February 2012) conducted by the fifth author, Mr. Jalal Mohammadi. It was financially supported by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Thanks are due to the Vice-chancellor for Research and Technology at SUMS, for permitting the use of facilities at the university. We are also indebted to Ms. Dabagh for help with the preparation of our map, Mr. H. Alipoor, M.A. Zarei and M. Shirani for help in the field and to Mr. M. Kalantari and Ms. F. Sedaghat for assistance on ELISA tests. No conflict of interests exist.

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Copyright information

© Indian Society for Parasitology 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Mohammad Djaefar Moemenbellah-Fard
    • 1
  • Bahador Shahriari
    • 2
  • Kourosh Azizi
    • 1
  • Mohammad Reza Fakoorziba
    • 1
  • Jalal Mohammadi
    • 3
  • Masoume Amin
    • 3
  1. 1.Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, Research Centre for Health Sciences, School of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
  2. 2.Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, School of MedicineShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran
  3. 3.Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of HealthShiraz University of Medical SciencesShirazIran

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