FLEA-BORNE SPOTTED FEVER (Rickettsia felis) • Rickettsia felis is an emerging vector-borne bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of the human disease flea-borne spotted fever (FBSF). • The primary vector of R. felis is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). • Dogs are considered the primary mammalian reservoir host for R. felis, however cats may also be infected. Infection of companion animals is not associated with clinical disease.
ACAZAP RECOMMENDATIONS
• Year-round flea control is recommended for all dogs and cats to reduce animal exposure to potentially infected fleas. Treatment of all dogs and cats in the household is recommended. • Veterinarians play a key role in advocating flea control in domestic pets and educating pet owners, not only on the impact of fleas on the health and wellbeing of their pets, but also on the risk of flea-borne zoonotic disease.
• Exposure to flea-infested companion animals is a potential occupational hazard for Australian veterinarians; consider wearing long sleeve protective clothing when undertaking activities where increased contact with flea-infested animals is required.
IN ANIMALS
AETIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY • Like many rickettsial species, R. felis can sustain infection in arthropod vectors by transovarial (parent
flea to offspring) and/or transstadial (one life stage to the next) transmission. 1 The cat flea (C. felis), the only confirmed biological vector of R. felis, is capable of vertically transmitting R. felis for up to 12 generations. 2,3 • The cat flea is ubiquitous in both tropical and temperate regions and is the primary flea infesting dogs and cats in Australia. 4 PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS • Australian data suggests environmental temperature impacts prevalence of R. felis in fleas, with the organism more prevalent in cooler, temperate climates. Rickettsia felis was detected in 6.7%, 13.2% and 15.5% of fleas sourced from tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of Australia's eastern seaboard respectively. 5 • In Australia, studies have identified R. felis infection rates in cat fleas ranging from 19.8% in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne and up to 36% in regional centres in Western Australia. 6,7
The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is the only confirmed biological vector of Rickettsia felis
• Dogs are considered the primary mammalian reservoir. 2 Research in south-east Queensland identified R. felis DNA in the blood of 9% of healthy pound dogs, with another study in Indigenous community dogs in the Northern Territory reporting a prevalence of 2.3%. 8,9
CONTENTS
41 Companion Animal Zoonoses Guidelines
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