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

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