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      Rickettsia felis, an emerging flea-transmitted human pathogen

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          Abstract

          Rickettsia felis was first recognised two decades ago and has now been described as endemic to all continents except Antarctica. The rickettsiosis caused by R. felis is known as flea-borne spotted fever or cat-flea typhus. The large number of arthropod species found to harbour R. felis and that may act as potential vectors support the view that it is a pan-global microbe. The main arthropod reservoir and vector is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, yet more than 20 other species of fleas, ticks, and mites species have been reported to harbour R. felis. Few bacterial pathogens of humans have been found associated with such a diverse range of invertebrates. With the projected increase in global temperature over the next century, there is concern that changes to the ecology and distribution of R. felis vectors may adversely impact public health.

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          Effects of environmental change on emerging parasitic diseases.

          Jonathan A. Patz, Thaddeus K. Graczyk, Nina L Geller … (2000)
          Ecological disturbances exert an influence on the emergence and proliferation of malaria and zoonotic parasitic diseases, including, Leishmaniasis, cryptosporidiosis, giardiasis, trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis, filariasis, onchocerciasis, and loiasis. Each environmental change, whether occurring as a natural phenomenon or through human intervention, changes the ecological balance and context within which disease hosts or vectors and parasites breed, develop, and transmit disease. Each species occupies a particular ecological niche and vector species sub-populations are distinct behaviourally and genetically as they adapt to man-made environments. Most zoonotic parasites display three distinct life cycles: sylvatic, zoonotic, and anthroponotic. In adapting to changed environmental conditions, including reduced non-human population and increased human population, some vectors display conversion from a primarily zoophyllic to primarily anthrophyllic orientation. Deforestation and ensuing changes in landuse, human settlement, commercial development, road construction, water control systems (dams, canals, irrigation systems, reservoirs), and climate, singly, and in combination have been accompanied by global increases in morbidity and mortality from emergent parasitic disease. The replacement of forests with crop farming, ranching, and raising small animals can create supportive habitats for parasites and their host vectors. When the land use of deforested areas changes, the pattern of human settlement is altered and habitat fragmentation may provide opportunities for exchange and transmission of parasites to the heretofore uninfected humans. Construction of water control projects can lead to shifts in such vector populations as snails and mosquitoes and their parasites. Construction of roads in previously inaccessible forested areas can lead to erosion, and stagnant ponds by blocking the flow of streams when the water rises during the rainy season. The combined effects of environmentally detrimental changes in local land use and alterations in global climate disrupt the natural ecosystem and can increase the risk of transmission of parasitic diseases to the human population.
          Article 0 comments Cited 326 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
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            Effects of Climate Change on Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases in Europe

            J S Gray, H. Dautel, Agustín Estrada Peña … (2009)
            Zoonotic tick-borne diseases are an increasing health burden in Europe and there is speculation that this is partly due to climate change affecting vector biology and disease transmission. Data on the vector tick Ixodes ricinus suggest that an extension of its northern and altitude range has been accompanied by an increased prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis. Climate change may also be partly responsible for the change in distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus. Increased winter activity of I. ricinus is probably due to warmer winters and a retrospective study suggests that hotter summers will change the dynamics and pattern of seasonal activity, resulting in the bulk of the tick population becoming active in the latter part of the year. Climate suitability models predict that eight important tick species are likely to establish more northern permanent populations in a climate-warming scenario. However, the complex ecology and epidemiology of such tick-borne diseases as Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis make it difficult to implicate climate change as the main cause of their increasing prevalence. Climate change models are required that take account of the dynamic biological processes involved in vector abundance and pathogen transmission in order to predict future tick-borne disease scenarios.
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              The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae): from taxonomy to control.

              Filipe Dantas-Torres (2008)
              Rhipicephalus sanguineus, commonly known as the brown dog tick, is a three-host tick that feeds primarily on dogs and occasionally on other hosts, including humans. R. sanguineus ticks are widely distributed around the world and they are known vectors of pathogens, such as Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis, and Rickettsia conorii. The increasing number of cases of human parasitism by R. sanguineus ticks reported in the literature indicates that the interaction between humans and R. sanguineus ticks may be more common than it is actually recognized. The indiscriminate use of acaricides is an emerging problem worldwide and has led to the selection of acaricide resistant tick strains. In this article, the medical and veterinary importance, taxonomy, biology, and ecology of R. sanguineus ticks around the world are reviewed. It also discusses the current strategies for the control of R. sanguineus, highlighting the potential risks associated to the improper use of acaricides, such as environmental pollution and toxicity to humans and other non-target organisms (e.g., tick predators).
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Journal ID (nlm-ta): Emerg Health Threats J
                Journal ID (publisher-id): EHTJ
                Title: Emerging Health Threats Journal
                Publisher: CoAction Publishing
                ISSN (Electronic): 1752-8550
                Publication date (Electronic): 01 July 2011
                Publication date Collection: 2011
                Volume: 4
                Electronic Location Identifier: 10.3402/ehtj.v4i0.7168
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Geelong Hospital, Geelong, VIC, Australia
                [2 ]Hunter Area Pathology Service, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
                Author notes
                [* ] Mohammad Yazid Abdad, Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, Geelong Hospital, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia. Email: myazid@ 123456barwonhealth.org.au
                Article
                Publisher ID: EHTJ-4-7168
                DOI: 10.3402/ehtj.v4i0.7168
                PMC ID: 3168219
                PubMed ID: 24149035
                SO-VID: e4a086a2-b387-411c-8d6c-521fbbdf9e09
                Copyright © © 2011 Mohammad Yazid Abdad et al.
                License:

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                Date received : 08 February 2011
                Date revision received : 05 May 2011
                Date accepted : 15 May 2011
                Categories
                Subject: Review Article

                ScienceOpen disciplines: Public health
                Keywords: flea-borne spotted fever,ctenocephalides felis,rickettsia felis,cat flea typhus
                Data availability:
                ScienceOpen disciplines: Public health
                Keywords: flea-borne spotted fever, ctenocephalides felis, rickettsia felis, cat flea typhus

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