Publication: Correlation between oriental rat flea abundance and commensal rodents in three different geographical regions in Bangkok, Thailand
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Issued Date
2017
Resource Type
File Type
application/pdf
ISSN
1252208
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-85075024015
Rights Holder(s)
Scopus
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. Vol 100, No.10 (2017), p.S126-S135
Suggested Citation
Samung Y., Ruangsittichai J., Machida R., Thipaksorn A., Attrapadung S., Chotelersak K. Correlation between oriental rat flea abundance and commensal rodents in three different geographical regions in Bangkok, Thailand. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand. Vol 100, No.10 (2017), p.S126-S135. Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/4378
Abstract
Background: Fleas play important role as transmission vector of some important communicable and re-emerging diseases. Among them, plague is one of the highly virulent diseases transmitted by the oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. The surveillance of commensal rats and flea species is done by calculating the “Flea index” as the risk indicator of plaque for the monitoring program. Objective: To determine the distribution of oriental rat flea and commensal rodents and to study the correlation between their abundance and the geographical regions in Bangkok, Thailand. Material and Method: Small rodents were trapped from fresh food markets in 3 different geographical regions in Bangkok during August 2009 by using cage mouse traps. Fleas were collected by back-combing the fur of each animal. The total flea index, specific flea index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and percentage of trap success were calculated as data analysis. Results: The data revealed that the average total flea index of the inner, middle, and outer regions in Bangkok were: 0.93+0.21, 1.39+0.36, and 1.06+0.44, respectively. The data also indicated that the specific flea index of commensal rodent hosts, Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus, Rattus exulans, and Suncus murinus were: 0.95+0.18, 1.28+0.64, 1.74+0.36, and 0.47+0.14, respectively. The number of collected fleas was positively correlated with the geographical differentiation of each region. In addition, the highest species diversity (H index) of rats and shrews appeared in the inner region. Percentage of trap success which indicated the density of reservoir hosts in the inner, middle and outer regions were: 20.63, 16.82, and 21.69%, respectively. Rattus norvegicus and Rattus exulans were the achievable hosts of oriental rat flea in Bangkok. Conclusion: The inner region of Bangkok should be the priority for sanitation improvement to prevent a disease transmission. © 2017 Medical Association of Thailand. All rights reserved.
Subject(s)
Animal trapping
Article
Commensal
Controlled study
Correlation analysis
Disease transmission
Ectoparasite
Geographic distribution
Mouse
Nonhuman
Plague
Population abundance
Rat
Rattus exulans
Rattus norvegicus
Rattus rattus
Rodent
Sanitation
Shannon Weaver diversity index
Species diversity
Species identification
Stereomicroscopy
Suncus murinus
Thailand
Xenopsylla
Article
Commensal
Controlled study
Correlation analysis
Disease transmission
Ectoparasite
Geographic distribution
Mouse
Nonhuman
Plague
Population abundance
Rat
Rattus exulans
Rattus norvegicus
Rattus rattus
Rodent
Sanitation
Shannon Weaver diversity index
Species diversity
Species identification
Stereomicroscopy
Suncus murinus
Thailand
Xenopsylla