What do cat fleas transmit? - briefly
Cat fleas are vectors for Bartonella henselae, the bacterium that causes cat‑scratch disease, and for Rickettsia felis, the agent of flea‑borne spotted fever; they also transmit the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum to pets and humans.
What do cat fleas transmit? - in detail
Cat fleas act as vectors for several medically significant organisms. Their bites cause allergic dermatitis, characterized by intense itching and skin inflammation. Beyond irritation, fleas transmit infectious agents that affect both animals and humans.
- Bartonella henselae – the etiologic agent of cat‑scratch disease. Fleas acquire the bacterium while feeding on an infected host and deposit it in feces; scratching contaminated skin introduces the pathogen, leading to regional lymphadenopathy and fever.
- Rickettsia felis – responsible for flea‑borne spotted fever. Transmission occurs when an infected flea bites a host, introducing the organism into the bloodstream and producing fever, rash, and headache.
- Yersinia pestis – the plague bacterium. Although rodents are primary reservoirs, cat fleas can carry the pathogen and transmit it to cats and humans through bites or contaminated feces, potentially causing bubonic or septicemic plague.
- Dipylidium caninum – a tapeworm whose cysticercoid stage develops inside the flea. Ingestion of an infected flea by a cat, dog, or human leads to intestinal infestation, presenting with abdominal discomfort and proglottid passage.
- Rickettsia typhi – murine typhus agent. Fleas feeding on infected rodents can spread the bacterium to secondary hosts, causing fever, rash, and headache.
Each pathogen relies on the flea’s blood‑feeding behavior and subsequent contact with the host’s skin or ingestion of the insect. Control measures focus on eliminating flea infestations, regular veterinary prophylaxis, and hygiene practices to reduce exposure to flea feces and bites.