The Relationship between Parasitic Fleas and Small Mammals in Household of Western Yunnan Province, China

Abstract

15The Yunnan Province has one of the most serious outbreaks of the plague 16 epidemic in China. Small mammals and fleas are risk factors for the 17 occurrence of plague in commensal plague foci. Understanding the 18 relationship between parasitic fleas and small mammals will help control fleas 19 and prevent the onset of the plague. Four hundred and twenty-one small 20 mammals, belonging to 9 species, were captured. Of these, 170 small 21 mammals (40.4%) were infested with fleas. A total of 992 parasitic fleas 22 (including 5 species) was collected. The number of Leptopsylla Segnis and 23 Xenopsylla Cheopis was 91.0%. The final multiple hurdle negative binomial 24 regression model showed that when compared with Rattus Tanezumi, the 25 probability of flea infestation on Mus musculus and other host species 26 decreased from 58% to 99%, while the infestation with fleas from other host 27 species increased 4.7 fold. The probability of flea prevalence in adult hosts 28 increased by 74%, while the number of fleas decreased by 76%. The number 29 of flea infestations in small male mammals increased by 62%. The number of 2 30 fleas in small mammals weighing more than 59 grams has been multiplied by 31 about 4. Rattus Tanezumi is the predominant species in households in West 32 Yunnan Province, while Leptopsylla Segnis and Xenopsylla Cheopis are 33 dominant parasitic fleas. There is a strong relationship between the abundance 34 of parasitic fleas and the characteristics of small mammals (e.g. Species, age, 35 sex, and body weight).36