Seasonal Occurrence ofCtenocephalides felis felisandCtenocephalides canis(Siphonaptera:Pulicidae) Infesting Dogs and Cats in an Urban Area in Cuernavaca, Mexico

Abstract

The seasonal occurrence of Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché ) and Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis) infestation on dogs and cats in Cuernavaca City in Mexico, was determined by examining 1,803 dogs and 517 cats at two veterinary clinics during 1995Ð1997. The overall ßea infestation was 30.3 and 30.1% for dogs and cats, respectively. There were no signiÞcant differences (P Ͼ 0.05) in percentage of infestation among years for both hosts. The infestation was somewhat higher in spring, summer, and autumn than in winter, but no statistical differences was found among seasons (P Ͼ 0.05) for both pets. No relationship existed between percentage of ßea infestation and temperature or rainfall among seasons. On dogs, 81.1% were infested with only C. felis felis, 16.8% with C. canis, and 2% had both ßea species; whereas 92.3% of the cats were infested with C. felis felis and 7.7% with C. felis felis and C. canis. The cat ßea was the most prevalent ßea species found other than C. canis; no other species were found on the dogs and cats. It appeared that ßea life cycle development continued throughout the year.

Prevalence of ectoparasites in owned dogs in Kerman city, southeast of Iran

“…The peak of flea infestation rate was 9.0 % observed in November and the June, July, September and October months infestation was 0 %. Results of this study are not in agreement with other authors who observed that peak flea infestations occurred during the annual warm months (Cruz-Vazquez et al 2001). The present study showed that ectoparasite was more predominant in females than males; the reason for this discrepancy is unclear but may be in part related to the fact that females have longer life than males.…”

Prevalence of Fleas and Gastrointestinal Parasites in Free-Roaming Cats in Central Mexico

“…In Mexico, Cruz-Vazquez [10] reported a prevalence of 30.3% of ectoparasites in a three years study in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico, where 92% of the cats were infested with C. felis and 8% with C. canis , in our study, the flea prevalence was considerably higher (53%). C. felis was found in 99% of the infested cats, in agreement with previous reports [26], [29], [30], [31], [32].…”

“…The third most common flea, E. gallinacea , the stick tight flea, is a cosmopolitan flea, primarily a pest of domestic poultry and birds [39], [40] but may also parasitize mammals [41] such as dogs [42], [43], fox and rats [41]. Studies in Europe and America were not able to find this flea in flea infested cats [30] [10], [31]. However, Akucewich [23] have reported E. gallinacea (5.5%) in cats in the north central of Florida, in the United States, suggesting that the presence of the flea in feral cats is caused for the close contact with wild and domestic birds.…”

“…Information regarding prevalence and species of fleas and gastrointestinal parasites in cats in Mexico is scarce [10], [11], [12]; therefore, local and updated information is essential to understand the epidemiology of intestinal parasitic diseases in cats to design rational control strategies. This information is also important to prevent the indiscriminant use of anthelmintics that could lead to anthelmintic resistance [13], [14], [15].…”

Rickettsia felis, an emerging flea-transmitted human pathogen

“…In temperate climates, C. felis and Ctenocephalides canis activity on host animals are influenced mainly by temperature with trends showing peak activity during warm months and periods of high rainfall (30, 31). This was observed with several vector types and species.…”