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Evidence for the Presence of Ctenocephalides Orientis in Livestock Dwellings in Northwest Iran Publisher Pubmed



Seyyedzadeh SJ1, 2 ; Bozorgomid F2, 3 ; Telmadarraiy Z4 ; Terenius O5 ; Chavshin AR1, 2
Authors
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Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Social Determinants of Health, Research Centre, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
  2. 2. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
  3. 3. Student Research Committee, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
  4. 4. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  5. 5. Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Source: Medical and Veterinary Entomology Published:2018


Abstract

Fleas are important vectors of diseases such as murine typhus, tularaemia, hymenolepiasis and plague. The presence of active foci and history of human- and flea-transmitted plague in northwest Iran prompted the present group to collect and identify fleas from human and livestock dwellings across West Azerbaijan Province. Adult fleas were collected and identified using routine taxonomic keys. Species designation was confirmed by sequencing the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). Of the collected specimens (n = 989), 104 were collected off-host (30 from human dwellings and 74 in light traps) and the rest were found on hosts (107 on animals and 778 by human bait). Of these fleas, 394 (40%) were male and 595 (60%) were female. The collected specimens belonged to the species Ctenocephalides canis, Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides orientis and Pulex irritans (all: Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). The amplified COI fragment, in addition to confirming the morphological identification of species, showed good efficacy in separating the different species in the phylogenetic analysis. In addition to the identification of fleas from human and livestock dwellings using morphological and molecular characteristics, the current paper represents the first report of the presence of C. orientis in northwest Iran. This finding suggests that changing climate conditions may have expanded the distribution of this species. © 2018 The Royal Entomological Society