Tracking of Mammals and Their Fleas for Plague Surveillance in Madagascar, 2018–2019

Archive ouverte

Rahelinirina, Soanandrasana | Harimalala, Mireille | Rakotoniaina, Jerry | Randriamanantsoa, Mamy Gabriel | Dentinger, Catherine | Zohdy, Sarah | Girod, Romain | Rajerison, Minoarisoa

Edité par CCSD ; American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene -

International audience. Plague, a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis , remains a major public health threat in Madagascar. To better understand the risk of transmission to humans and to guide targeted plague prevention and control measures, a survey of Y. pestis infection and exposure in mammals and their fleas was implemented. Small mammals were captured in five districts of Madagascar ranging in levels of plague endemicity, as measured by notified cases, from none to active foci. Blood and spleen samples and fleas were collected from small mammals for the detection of anti– Y. pestis F1 antibodies by ELISA, F1 antigens by rapid diagnostic tests, and pla , caf1 , and inv genes by polymerase chain reaction. Some rodent fleas were kept alive and reared in the insectary to assess susceptibility to insecticides. Blood was also collected from 15 dogs and tested for anti-F1 antibodies. A total of 557 spleens, 484 sera, and 1,539 fleas were collected from 557 rodents and shrews. Nineteen (3.4%) spleens were positive for F1 antigen, most from Toamasina ( N = 13), a historical plague focus. One dog was also found seropositive in Toamasina. Twenty-two (4.5%) serologic specimens from small mammals were positive for anti-F1 antibodies. The flea index was highest in the city of Antananarivo (8.8). No flea was positive for Y. pestis DNA. Flea populations exhibited resistance to various insecticides weakening the efficacy of vector control. This study highlights the potential use of animal-based surveillance to identify the risk of plague transmission in endemic and nonendemic foci for targeted prevention and control.

Suggestions

Du même auteur

Using the ectocide Fluralaner administered per os to Rattus rattus to control the flea Xenopsylla cheopis, vector of Yersinia pestis in Madagascar: the Ectopeste project

Archive ouverte | Raharimalala, Kolohina | CCSD

International audience. In Madagascar, plague remains a major public health concern. The causative agent (bacterium Yersinia pestis) is mainly vectored by Xenopsylla cheopis, a flea commonly associated to black rats...

Presence of the Oriental Rat Flea (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Infesting an Endemic Mammal and Confirmed Plague Circulation in a Forest Area of Madagascar

Archive ouverte | Harimalala, Mireille | CCSD

International audience. The Oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild 1903), is a cosmopolitan flea usually found infesting domestic rats. This flea is a well-known major human plague vector in Madagascar. A...

Field assessment of insecticide dusting and bait station treatment impact against rodent flea and house flea species in the Madagascar plague context

Archive ouverte | Miarinjara, Adélaïde | CCSD

International audience. Bubonic is the most prevalent plague form in Madagascar. Indoor ground application of insecticide dust is the conventional method used to control potentially infected rodent fleas that transm...

Chargement des enrichissements...