Cat flea infestation on ruminants: clinical evaluation, control, and tick fever agents DNA investigation

Cat flea infestation on ruminants: clinical evaluation, control, and tick fever agents DNA investigation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Short Report Cat flea infestation on ruminants: clinical evaluation, control, and tick fever agents DNA investigation Luiz Felipe Neves, Joana Palhares Campolina, Gabriela Bastos, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Ectoparasites in ruminants are common in tropical rearing systems and normally associated with tick and fly infestations. Although cat fleas it can occur, records of ruminant infestation by are unusual. The present study describes two different cases of flea infestation at the same farm in the Brazilian southeast region, in different periods and different species, kids and calves. In both cases, domestic feral cats and dogs infested by Ctenocephalides felis felis had access to the animal’s facility. Kids and calves presented high flea burden that caused dermatitis, stress, discomfort, irritation, anemia, and weight gain reduction. The packed cell volume of the calves was performed and due to history of tick fever in the farm an investigation of tick fever agents DNA in the fleas was done, to verity possible mechanical transmission through flea bite. For flea control, on both situations, the animal’s treatment with deltamethrin plus environment cleaning and spraying insecticide showed success. Four of eight calves presented anemia (packed cell volume < 24%). The tick fever agents DNA was not diagnosed. The right parasite identification, election of methods, drugs and environment management are necessary to a satisfactory outcome and parasite control. anemia Ctenocephalides felis felis dairy cattle goat Figures Figure 1 Introduction Non-penetrating fleas are insects parasitizing animals and humans worldwide and can act as a vector of pathogens to their hosts. The adults are hematophagous and found on the host. After copula, the female lay eggs that drop off from the host and develop into larvae and pupae on the environment. So, new adults emerge (Bitam et al. 2010 ). In domestic animals, the following species are the most common: Ctenocephalides felis felis (“cat flea”), Ctenocephalides canis (“dog flea”), and Pulex irritans (“human flea”) (Halos et al. 2014 ). The C. f. felis is the most important ectoparasite of domestic cats and dogs, and their bite can cause allergic dermatitis (Rust 2017 ). However, this flea has been recorded parasitizing dogs, farm animals (sheep, goats, buffaloes, cattle) and humans (Dryden et al. 1993 ; Pereira et al. 2012 ; Lawrence et al. 2019 ; Dahm et al. 2021 ). The presence of flea in farm animals affect their health and welfare leads and can spread of zoonotic pathogens (Dryden et al. 1993 ; Dahm et al. 2021 ). The incidence of flea infestation in ruminants is not rare but under notified, the aim of this work is to report the occurrence of the same parasite in different species at the same farm, in different moments and the consequences of this infestation. Material And Methods The flea infestation occurred in the same farm but in different years. The property was in a peri-urban area of Igarapé, Minas Gerais, Brazil (20° 4' 20'' South, 44° 18' 12'' West). Kids and calves used different areas. However, domestic feral cats and dogs had free access to both areas where they used to stay and feed near the livestock (Fig. 1 A). On February 2nd, 2015, 40 weaned female Saanen kids, with 72 ± 6 days of age were brought to the farm and kept for one year at the same barn. The kids were housed in a barn with cemented stalls pens bedded with sawdust and was occupied by two goats, who remained together throughout the period. Animals received Cynodon hay and concentrate feed twice daily and water ad libitum . Feral cats, dogs, opossum, and rats had access to the barn. Constantly, rats and opossum were seen eating the goat’s feed. Two weeks after arrival, many of the goats where itching, especially those kept on the back of the barn, where the was less management activity. The animals were then inspected, and feed intake and animal behavior evaluated. Thrity fleas were randomly collected, conditioned in a flask with 70 GL ethanol and their identification was performed under optical microscope as proposed by (Lawrence et al. 2019 ) and (Linardi and Santos 2012 ). The feral cats and dogs in the surrounding area were also seen itching, however, it was not possible to sample the fleas of those animals. On September 14th, 2021, on other site of the farm, about 1.6 km distant from the goat barns, eight dairy calves between 0 and 60 days old and cats that allow approximation were visually inspected. These calves were kept in two different rearing systems: tie-stall and collective paddock. For the first 25 days, calves were allocated in a tie-stall system where they stayed in individual sand and Cynodon sp. hay bedded pens, tethered with a long chain of 1.2 m long. After 25 days of age, calves were taken to an outside paddock, for group housing, composed by Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum forages. In both systems, animals received milk twice daily in buckets provided with rubber teats (Milkbar®, New Zeland) and had ad libitum access to water and calf starter. The contact with the farm cats, approximately 10 cats, occurred specially during calves’ milk feeding and at night where they used to sleep together. Due to the high flea infestation, calves had their mucosa inspected and a blood sample was collected via jugular venipuncture to run the PCV by the microhematocrit technique (Weiss et al. 2010 ). Values under 24% were considered anemia (Jones and Allison 2007 ). Since the farm had a history of bovine tick fever, and to ensure that anemia was not evoked by possible tick fever agents such as Babesia bovis , Babesia bigemina and/or Anaplasma marginale , blood smears were performed with tail tip blood and stained with panoptic (Laborclin, Paraná, Brazil). In the farm records, only one animal that was investigated showed parasitemia by B. bovis identified by blood smears and treated in a single dose with 1.2 mg/kg of imidocarb dipropionate (Imizol®, MSD Animal Health, Brazil). A group of fleas was manually recovered from the calves and kept inside a flask with ethanol to further identification as mentioned above. Another flea group was maintained alive inside a plastic recipient to search for hemopathogens, like Babesia spp. and Anaplasma marginale , using PCR. After their death, the fleas were submitted to DNA extraction according to the guanidine thiocyanate protocol (Pitcher et al. 1989 ). Primers targeted the piroplasm 18S ribosomal RNA gene region 5'-AATACCCAATCCTGACACAGGG-3' and anti-sense 5'-TTAAATACGAATGCCCCCAAC-3'. 1µL (10mM) of each primer was added to the reaction mixture containing 20µL of supermix (Invitrogen, Brazil) and 250ng of DNA. Amplification parameters were the following: 95°C/10 min; 35 cycles of denaturation at 95°C/45 seconds, annealing at 55°C/45 seconds, and extension at 72°C/45 seconds followed by a final extension step at 72°C/7 minutes to generate a 400bp product (Olmeda et al. 1997 ). Primers targeted the Anaplasma spp. msp4 gene region, MSP45: 5’-GGGAGCTCCTATGAATTACAGAGAATTGTTTAC-3’ and MSP43: 5’-CCGGATCCTTAGCTGAACAGGAATCTTGC-3’. 1µL (10mM) of each primer was added to the reaction mixture containing 20µL of supermix (Invitrogen, Brazil) and 200ng of DNA. Amplification parameters were the following: 94°C/30 seconds; 35 cycles of denaturation at 94°C/30 seconds, annealing at 60°C/30 seconds, and extension at 68°C/ minute followed by a final extension step at 68°C/7 minutes to generate an 854bp product (de la Fuente et al. 2002 ). Results After kids’ examination it was visualized a large quantity of fleas, especially on the belly, legs, perineal and udder area. The kids’ skin showed some areas of dermatitis. The animals that were visually more infested by fleas showed a more frequent disturbance. They became restless and usually rubbed themselves in the structures of the facility. Besides the observed disturbance, these animals did not have differences in feed consumption than animals with less flea burden. However, they spent a longer time to intake the feed, standing up, trying to debate the infestation, and probably had shorter time in idleness. The fleas were identified as C. f. felis. For its control, the sawdust was removed, the pen environment was washed with water and domestic soap, and it was performed a disinfection on the pen and the trough with flame. Together with this protocol, virgin lime was used at the end of each application, to help environmental disinfection. Afterwards the pens and animals were treated with a drug based on deltamethrin (Butox® P CE 25, MSD Animal Health, Brazil) in three interval applications of seven days each. The application of this chemical was performed with a hand sprayer, giving greater focus to the animals and the installation. The hygiene and removal of the daily organic matter from the pens was carried out together. In calves, the black dots at the animal’s fur were flea feces and the adult fleas were mainly in the ventral surface of the animal’s body such as chest, axillae, abdomen, and groin (Fig. 1 B). Besides, calves had low tick burden. Parasitized calves showed itching, and they were grooming themselves. The parasitic burden, visually estimated, revealed hundreds of fleas. The collected fleas were identified as C. f. felis (Fig. 1 C). Cats presented adult fleas too, however a low flea burden than on calves. A control program using deltamethrin (Butox®, MSD Animal Health, Brazil) was performed according to the leaflet. Animals were treated weekly during six weeks using a hand sprayer; the chemical product was sprayed in the entire body of the calves every seven days until infestation reduction. In the tie stall, the Cynodon sp. hay bedding was removed and deltamethrin was applied in the same frequency in the sand bed. Also, the cats near the tie stall system and treated the cats that was captured with fipronil (Frontline Topspot®, Boehringer Ingelheim, Brazil). Four of the eight calves evaluated, showed PCV < 24% (PCV = 23%, 23%, 20% and 18%), which was considered anemia. The blood smears of all animals showed A. marginale with a mean of parasitemia less than 2%. Discussion It is known that the presence of dogs, cats, opossum, and rats are risk factors for C. f. felis infestation in production animals. Biosecurity, frequency, and care regarding cleaning accommodation can interfere in flea control (Pereira et al. 2012 ; Rust 2017 ; Dahm et al. 2021 ). In addition, fleas had the ability of transfer from one host to another and a jumping behavior making difficult its control (Rust and Dryden 1997 ; Blagburn and Dryden 2009 ). In the current report possibly, the free access and contact of cats, dogs and other feral animals are factors to keep the flea infestation on the kids and calves. Furthermore, since the kids pen was bedded with sawdust, this could have created a micro-environment and helped flea cycle. Since the infestations occurred between a big-time interval, and the animals were allocated in different parts of the farm, there is no correlation between both cases. In the present study, the parasitized kids did not develop any severe clinical picture, only small lesions in the epidermis, especially in belly and perinea. However, these lesions can occur in high flea-infested animals and led to allergic dermatitis, which caused minor irritations of the epidermis (Barbosa et al. 2011 ). Although there was no weight loss, a change in the behavior of the most parasitized kids was observed during feeding as observed in studies with goats (Fagbemi 1982 ; Ortiz et al. 2010 ). Few are the reports regarding the cat flea parasitizing cattle (Dryden et al. 1993 ; Benesi et al. 1998 ; Tsoi et al. 2020 ). However, these studies registered the parasitism on dairy calves showing discomfort and presence of cats or dog in the environment as in the current report. Due the importance of C. f. felis as reservoirs and vectors of pathogens and its host non specificity, it is important to know if this ectoparasite could transmit the tick fever agents. It has been registered the DNA presence of Babesia microti , Rickettsia spp. and Bartonella spp. in cat fleas that fed in carnivores (Torina et al. 2013 ; Nguyen et al. 2020 ; Pawełczyk et al. 2020 ). In the present work, the flea samples were negative for piroplasm and A. marginale DNA by PCR, possibly due to the low parasitemia verified in calves. In addition, we did not know how long the collected fleas has been fed on them. Other aspect is the competition between different pathogens inside fleas, since few studies reported that rickettsiosis establish in a different way (Schriefer et al. 1994 ; Nogueras et al. 2013 ). Further studies need to be done to verify C. felis role in the transmission of A. marginale considering that fleas are vectors of another rickettsiosis, such as R. felis (Torina et al. 2013 ). Regarding the treatment against fleas, pyrethroids is widely used on cattle against flies and ticks, and for fleas in pets (Blagburn et al., 2009; Rust, 2017 ; Tsoi et al., 2020 ). The deltamethrin was efficient reducing and even eradicating flea infestation. It is important to highlight that an efficient flea control is associated with an integrate control where hosts and environment need to be treated. Even that, know the flea life cycle and ecology (Halos et al. 2014 ). The association of several methods and removal of organic matter to control kids’ flea infestation that presented greater efficiency, since it difficult the flea life cycle in the environment. Conclusion The entrance of feral animals in production systems should be limited to avoid C. f. felis infestation. Besides, the use of integrate management strategies to prevent environment and animal infestation, since high flea burden on kids and calves can compromise the productivity of the herd. Declarations Funding: not applicable. Competing interests: the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Code or data availability: not applicable. Authors’ Contribution: L.F.M.N., J.P.C., G.B., G.R.G.P., G.R.S., D.S.R, S.G.C., L.L.F.: investigation (animals and environment management and treatment). J.P.C., G.R.G.P., D.S.R, S.G.C., L.L.F.: wrote the main manuscript. D.R.S, L.L.F.: flea identification; G.R.G.P.: PCR analysis; L.L.F.: prepared figures. Ethical Statement: no approval of ethics committees was required to accomplish the goals of this study because it is a case report that happened in a farm. Consent to participate : the authors obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the case report happened before the work is submitted. Consent for publication: all authors gave explicit consent to submit the work. Acknowledgment: we would like to thank the the farm employees. References Barbosa JD, Albernaz TT, Oliveira CMC et al (2011) Dermatite alérgica à picada de insetos em ovinos no estado do Pará. Pesqui Veterinária Bras 31:117–120. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2011000200004 Benesi FJ, Pereira DC, Cardoso de Sa CS et al (1998) Cat flea infestation in a newborn Jersey calf in Brazil.Rev Bras Parasitol Vet157–160 Bitam I, Dittmar K, Parola P et al (2010) Fleas and flea-borne diseases. Int J Infect Dis 14:e667–e676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2009.11.011 Blagburn BL, Dryden MW (2009) Biology, Treatment, and Control of Flea and Tick Infestations. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 39:1173–1200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.07.001 Dahm JR, Bailey JB, Kelly RF et al (2021) Risk factors associated with Ctenocephalides felis flea infestation of peri-urban goats: a neglected parasite in an under-appreciated host. Trop Anim Health Prod 53:181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02620-7 de la Fuente J, Van Den Bussche RA, Garcia-Garcia JC et al (2002) Phylogeography of New World isolates of Anaplasma marginale based on major surface protein sequences. Vet Microbiol 88:275–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1135(02)00122-0 Dryden MW, Broce AB, Moore WE (1993) Severe flea infestation in dairy calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc 203:1448–1452 Fagbemi BO (1982) Effect of Ctenocephalides felis strongylus infestation on the performance of West African dwarf sheep and goats. Vet Q 4:92–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.1982.9693846 Halos L, Beugnet F, Cardoso L et al (2014) Flea control failure? Myths and realities. Trends Parasitol 30:228–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.02.007 Jones ML, Allison RW (2007) Evaluation of the Ruminant Complete Blood Cell Count. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 23:377–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.07.002 Lawrence AL, Webb CE, Clark NJ et al (2019) Out-of-Africa, human-mediated dispersal of the common cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis: The hitchhiker’s guide to world domination. Int J Parasitol 49:321–336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2019.01.001 Linardi PM, Santos JLC (2012) Ctenocephalides felis felis vs. Ctenocephalides canis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae): some issues in correctly identify these species. Rev Bras Parasitol Veterinária 21:345–354. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612012000400002 Nguyen V-L, Colella V, Greco G et al (2020) Molecular detection of pathogens in ticks and fleas collected from companion dogs and cats in East and Southeast Asia. Parasit Vectors 13:420. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04288-8 Nogueras MM, Pons I, Ortuño A et al (2013) Molecular Detection of Rickettsia typhi in Cats and Fleas. PLoS ONE 8:e71386. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071386 Olmeda A, Armstrong P, Rosenthal B et al (1997) A subtropical case of human babesiosis. Acta Trop 67:229–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-706X(97)00045-4 Ortiz BE, Múrcia GN, Trujillo VV et al (2010) Case report: Pulicosis by Ctenocephalides felis felis in sheep and goats in the savannah of Bogota, Colombia.Rev Med Vet (Bogota)123–135 Pawełczyk O, Asman M, Solarz K (2020) The Discovery of Zoonotic Protozoans in Fleas Parasitizing on Pets as a Potential Infection Threat. Acta Parasitol 65:817–822. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-020-00221-2 Pereira MR, Silva GAG, Maciel AS et al (2012) Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché, 1835) e Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini, 1887) em caprinos e ovinos no Município de Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Arq Inst Biol (Sao Paulo) 79:607–609. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1808-16572012000400019 Pitcher DG, Saunders NA, Owen RJ (1989) Rapid extraction of bacterial genomic DNA with guanidium thiocyanate. Lett Appl Microbiol 8:151–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.1989.tb00262.x Rust M (2017) The Biology and Ecology of Cat Fleas and Advancements in Their Pest Management: A Review. Insects 8:118. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8040118 Rust MK, Dryden MW, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CAT FLEA (1997) THE BIOLOGY. Annu Rev Entomol 42:451–473. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.42.1.451 Schriefer ME, Sacci JB, Taylor JP et al (1994) Murine Typhus: Updated Roles of Multiple Urban Components and a Second Typhuslike Rickettsia. J Med Entomol 31:681–685. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/31.5.681 Torina A, Blanda V, Antoci F et al (2013) A Molecular Survey of Anaplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia canis and Babesia microti in Foxes and Fleas from Sicily. Transbound Emerg Dis 60:125–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12137 Tsoi FMB, Šlapeta J, Reynolds M (2020) Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) infestation in neonatal dairy calves managed with deltamethrin pour-on in Australia. Vet Parasitol 279:109039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109039 Weiss DJ, Wardrop KJ, Schalm OW (2010) Schalm’s veterinary hematology, 6th edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, Iowa Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-1789584","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Short Report","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":116563246,"identity":"77e312ed-84c3-4f7e-a808-53709c8da9a8","order_by":0,"name":"Luiz Felipe Neves","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luiz","middleName":"Felipe","lastName":"Neves","suffix":""},{"id":116563247,"identity":"d4546ab7-e46b-47a7-a1c8-709a773a5a57","order_by":1,"name":"Joana Palhares Campolina","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joana","middleName":"Palhares","lastName":"Campolina","suffix":""},{"id":116563250,"identity":"19763ea9-b727-4116-b7f5-f58c5a5c428d","order_by":2,"name":"Gabriela Bastos","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gabriela","middleName":"","lastName":"Bastos","suffix":""},{"id":116563251,"identity":"6747a798-a585-4ebe-ad57-6b9c42fd8cc6","order_by":3,"name":"Gabriel Resende Souza","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Gabriel","middleName":"Resende","lastName":"Souza","suffix":""},{"id":116563253,"identity":"d78e948a-c161-4d28-81bf-caf8f123b293","order_by":4,"name":"Guilherme Rafael Gomide Pinheiro","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Guilherme","middleName":"Rafael Gomide","lastName":"Pinheiro","suffix":""},{"id":116563254,"identity":"38879649-5b44-4af2-bd06-60298c1f243e","order_by":5,"name":"Daniel Sobreira Rodrigues","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária de Minas Gerais – EPAMIG, Campo Experimental Santa Rita","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Daniel","middleName":"Sobreira","lastName":"Rodrigues","suffix":""},{"id":116563255,"identity":"bffcb28d-602a-43c5-aa3f-d122f690a14a","order_by":6,"name":"Sandra Gesteira Coelho","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":false,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sandra","middleName":"Gesteira","lastName":"Coelho","suffix":""},{"id":116563257,"identity":"49c8238f-862a-4c07-ab27-c895db0490c3","order_by":7,"name":"Lorena Lopes Ferreira","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPjDJwyADpj82gEjGxgP4tLCBSRmgJpDamQ0MEkCqgQgtNhAtzLxgLQwM+LWw9z58XJDDwMMv3Xz4s+0Omzrd9sNAW2psonFq4TlubDzjDAOP5JxjadK5Z9IkzM4kArUcS8ttwKVFIo1NmreHgcfgRo4Zc27bYQmzA0AtjA2H8Wlh/837D6Ql//NnS5CW8w8JamFj5uEB28IgzQjScoOQLTzHmKVBWoB+MZPsbUuT3HYDaEsCHr/ws7cxfgZqkQOG2OMPP9ts+M3Opz988KHGBqcWKPjPAIkQGEjArxwKJAgrGQWjYBSMghEKAC8lVHpGmJK6AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais","correspondingAuthor":true,"submittingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lorena","middleName":"Lopes","lastName":"Ferreira","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2022-06-23 20:29:13","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":23197999,"identity":"1798aefc-4dd7-426f-9826-ab3827723803","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-06-28 18:36:11","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":84099,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCat flea infestation o calves. A: Cat in the same environment of calve in the tie stall. B: Calves chest/axilla with adult fleas and black specks. C: female (upper) and male of \u003cem\u003eCtenocephalides felis felis\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"f1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1789584/v1/7971bc34541c9589edf1a0d5.jpg"},{"id":23397703,"identity":"5d5032e0-55fd-4cc4-b88d-8882dc4041fb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2022-07-04 09:29:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":308164,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-1789584/v1/ccec4c6a-80fe-42de-becb-167d11bb7e30.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Cat flea infestation on ruminants: clinical evaluation, control, and tick fever agents DNA investigation","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eNon-penetrating fleas are insects parasitizing animals and humans worldwide and can act as a vector of pathogens to their hosts. The adults are hematophagous and found on the host. After copula, the female lay eggs that drop off from the host and develop into larvae and pupae on the environment. So, new adults emerge (Bitam et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). In domestic animals, the following species are the most common: \u003cem\u003eCtenocephalides felis felis\u003c/em\u003e (\u0026ldquo;cat flea\u0026rdquo;), \u003cem\u003eCtenocephalides canis\u003c/em\u003e (\u0026ldquo;dog flea\u0026rdquo;), and \u003cem\u003ePulex irritans\u003c/em\u003e (\u0026ldquo;human flea\u0026rdquo;) (Halos et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis\u003c/em\u003e is the most important ectoparasite of domestic cats and dogs, and their bite can cause allergic dermatitis (Rust \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). However, this flea has been recorded parasitizing dogs, farm animals (sheep, goats, buffaloes, cattle) and humans (Dryden et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e; Pereira et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Lawrence et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Dahm et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). The presence of flea in farm animals affect their health and welfare leads and can spread of zoonotic pathogens (Dryden et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e; Dahm et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe incidence of flea infestation in ruminants is not rare but under notified, the aim of this work is to report the occurrence of the same parasite in different species at the same farm, in different moments and the consequences of this infestation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material And Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe flea infestation occurred in the same farm but in different years. The property was in a peri-urban area of Igarap\u0026eacute;, Minas Gerais, Brazil (20\u0026deg; 4' 20'' South, 44\u0026deg; 18' 12'' West). Kids and calves used different areas. However, domestic feral cats and dogs had free access to both areas where they used to stay and feed near the livestock (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eA).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn February 2nd, 2015, 40 weaned female Saanen kids, with 72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6 days of age were brought to the farm and kept for one year at the same barn. The kids were housed in a barn with cemented stalls pens bedded with sawdust and was occupied by two goats, who remained together throughout the period. Animals received \u003cem\u003eCynodon\u003c/em\u003e hay and concentrate feed twice daily and water \u003cem\u003ead libitum\u003c/em\u003e. Feral cats, dogs, opossum, and rats had access to the barn. Constantly, rats and opossum were seen eating the goat\u0026rsquo;s feed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwo weeks after arrival, many of the goats where itching, especially those kept on the back of the barn, where the was less management activity. The animals were then inspected, and feed intake and animal behavior evaluated. Thrity fleas were randomly collected, conditioned in a flask with 70 GL ethanol and their identification was performed under optical microscope as proposed by (Lawrence et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) and (Linardi and Santos \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e). The feral cats and dogs in the surrounding area were also seen itching, however, it was not possible to sample the fleas of those animals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn September 14th, 2021, on other site of the farm, about 1.6 km distant from the goat barns, eight dairy calves between 0 and 60 days old and cats that allow approximation were visually inspected. These calves were kept in two different rearing systems: tie-stall and collective paddock. For the first 25 days, calves were allocated in a tie-stall system where they stayed in individual sand and \u003cem\u003eCynodon\u003c/em\u003e sp. hay bedded pens, tethered with a long chain of 1.2 m long. After 25 days of age, calves were taken to an outside paddock, for group housing, composed by \u003cem\u003eBrachiaria brizantha\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePanicum maximum\u003c/em\u003e forages. In both systems, animals received milk twice daily in buckets provided with rubber teats (Milkbar\u0026reg;, New Zeland) and had \u003cem\u003ead libitum\u003c/em\u003e access to water and calf starter. The contact with the farm cats, approximately 10 cats, occurred specially during calves\u0026rsquo; milk feeding and at night where they used to sleep together.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDue to the high flea infestation, calves had their mucosa inspected and a blood sample was collected via jugular venipuncture to run the PCV by the microhematocrit technique (Weiss et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Values under 24% were considered anemia (Jones and Allison \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). Since the farm had a history of bovine tick fever, and to ensure that anemia was not evoked by possible tick fever agents such as \u003cem\u003eBabesia bovis\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBabesia bigemina\u003c/em\u003e and/or \u003cem\u003eAnaplasma marginale\u003c/em\u003e, blood smears were performed with tail tip blood and stained with panoptic (Laborclin, Paran\u0026aacute;, Brazil). In the farm records, only one animal that was investigated showed parasitemia by \u003cem\u003eB. bovis\u003c/em\u003e identified by blood smears and treated in a single dose with 1.2 mg/kg of imidocarb dipropionate (Imizol\u0026reg;, MSD Animal Health, Brazil).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA group of fleas was manually recovered from the calves and kept inside a flask with ethanol to further identification as mentioned above. Another flea group was maintained alive inside a plastic recipient to search for hemopathogens, like \u003cem\u003eBabesia\u003c/em\u003e spp. and \u003cem\u003eAnaplasma marginale\u003c/em\u003e, using PCR. After their death, the fleas were submitted to DNA extraction according to the guanidine thiocyanate protocol (Pitcher et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e). Primers targeted the piroplasm 18S ribosomal RNA gene region 5'-AATACCCAATCCTGACACAGGG-3' and anti-sense 5'-TTAAATACGAATGCCCCCAAC-3'. 1\u0026micro;L (10mM) of each primer was added to the reaction mixture containing 20\u0026micro;L of supermix (Invitrogen, Brazil) and 250ng of DNA. Amplification parameters were the following: 95\u0026deg;C/10 min; 35 cycles of denaturation at 95\u0026deg;C/45 seconds, annealing at 55\u0026deg;C/45 seconds, and extension at 72\u0026deg;C/45 seconds followed by a final extension step at 72\u0026deg;C/7 minutes to generate a 400bp product (Olmeda et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e). Primers targeted the \u003cem\u003eAnaplasma\u003c/em\u003e spp. msp4 gene region, MSP45: 5\u0026rsquo;-GGGAGCTCCTATGAATTACAGAGAATTGTTTAC-3\u0026rsquo; and MSP43: 5\u0026rsquo;-CCGGATCCTTAGCTGAACAGGAATCTTGC-3\u0026rsquo;. 1\u0026micro;L (10mM) of each primer was added to the reaction mixture containing 20\u0026micro;L of supermix (Invitrogen, Brazil) and 200ng of DNA. Amplification parameters were the following: 94\u0026deg;C/30 seconds; 35 cycles of denaturation at 94\u0026deg;C/30 seconds, annealing at 60\u0026deg;C/30 seconds, and extension at 68\u0026deg;C/ minute followed by a final extension step at 68\u0026deg;C/7 minutes to generate an 854bp product (de la Fuente et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eAfter kids\u0026rsquo; examination it was visualized a large quantity of fleas, especially on the belly, legs, perineal and udder area. The kids\u0026rsquo; skin showed some areas of dermatitis. The animals that were visually more infested by fleas showed a more frequent disturbance. They became restless and usually rubbed themselves in the structures of the facility. Besides the observed disturbance, these animals did not have differences in feed consumption than animals with less flea burden. However, they spent a longer time to intake the feed, standing up, trying to debate the infestation, and probably had shorter time in idleness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fleas were identified as \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis.\u003c/em\u003e For its control, the sawdust was removed, the pen environment was washed with water and domestic soap, and it was performed a disinfection on the pen and the trough with flame. Together with this protocol, virgin lime was used at the end of each application, to help environmental disinfection. Afterwards the pens and animals were treated with a drug based on deltamethrin (Butox\u0026reg; P CE 25, MSD Animal Health, Brazil) in three interval applications of seven days each. The application of this chemical was performed with a hand sprayer, giving greater focus to the animals and the installation. The hygiene and removal of the daily organic matter from the pens was carried out together.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn calves, the black dots at the animal\u0026rsquo;s fur were flea feces and the adult fleas were mainly in the ventral surface of the animal\u0026rsquo;s body such as chest, axillae, abdomen, and groin (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eB). Besides, calves had low tick burden. Parasitized calves showed itching, and they were grooming themselves. The parasitic burden, visually estimated, revealed hundreds of fleas. The collected fleas were identified as \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis\u003c/em\u003e (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003eC). Cats presented adult fleas too, however a low flea burden than on calves. A control program using deltamethrin (Butox\u0026reg;, MSD Animal Health, Brazil) was performed according to the leaflet. Animals were treated weekly during six weeks using a hand sprayer; the chemical product was sprayed in the entire body of the calves every seven days until infestation reduction. In the tie stall, the \u003cem\u003eCynodon\u003c/em\u003e sp. hay bedding was removed and deltamethrin was applied in the same frequency in the sand bed. Also, the cats near the tie stall system and treated the cats that was captured with fipronil (Frontline Topspot\u0026reg;, Boehringer Ingelheim, Brazil). Four of the eight calves evaluated, showed PCV\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;24% (PCV\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;23%, 23%, 20% and 18%), which was considered anemia. The blood smears of all animals showed \u003cem\u003eA. marginale\u003c/em\u003e with a mean of parasitemia less than 2%.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIt is known that the presence of dogs, cats, opossum, and rats are risk factors for \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis\u003c/em\u003e infestation in production animals. Biosecurity, frequency, and care regarding cleaning accommodation can interfere in flea control (Pereira et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Rust \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Dahm et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, fleas had the ability of transfer from one host to another and a jumping behavior making difficult its control (Rust and Dryden \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1997\u003c/span\u003e; Blagburn and Dryden \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). In the current report possibly, the free access and contact of cats, dogs and other feral animals are factors to keep the flea infestation on the kids and calves. Furthermore, since the kids pen was bedded with sawdust, this could have created a micro-environment and helped flea cycle. Since the infestations occurred between a big-time interval, and the animals were allocated in different parts of the farm, there is no correlation between both cases.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, the parasitized kids did not develop any severe clinical picture, only small lesions in the epidermis, especially in belly and perinea. However, these lesions can occur in high flea-infested animals and led to allergic dermatitis, which caused minor irritations of the epidermis (Barbosa et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Although there was no weight loss, a change in the behavior of the most parasitized kids was observed during feeding as observed in studies with goats (Fagbemi \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1982\u003c/span\u003e; Ortiz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFew are the reports regarding the cat flea parasitizing cattle (Dryden et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1993\u003c/span\u003e; Benesi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998\u003c/span\u003e; Tsoi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). However, these studies registered the parasitism on dairy calves showing discomfort and presence of cats or dog in the environment as in the current report. Due the importance of \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis\u003c/em\u003e as reservoirs and vectors of pathogens and its host non specificity, it is important to know if this ectoparasite could transmit the tick fever agents. It has been registered the DNA presence of \u003cem\u003eBabesia microti\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eRickettsia\u003c/em\u003e spp. and \u003cem\u003eBartonella\u003c/em\u003e spp. in cat fleas that fed in carnivores (Torina et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Nguyen et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Pawełczyk et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In the present work, the flea samples were negative for piroplasm and \u003cem\u003eA. marginale\u003c/em\u003e DNA by PCR, possibly due to the low parasitemia verified in calves. In addition, we did not know how long the collected fleas has been fed on them. Other aspect is the competition between different pathogens inside fleas, since few studies reported that rickettsiosis establish in a different way (Schriefer et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1994\u003c/span\u003e; Nogueras et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Further studies need to be done to verify \u003cem\u003eC. felis\u003c/em\u003e role in the transmission of \u003cem\u003eA. marginale\u003c/em\u003e considering that fleas are vectors of another rickettsiosis, such as \u003cem\u003eR. felis\u003c/em\u003e (Torina et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding the treatment against fleas, pyrethroids is widely used on cattle against flies and ticks, and for fleas in pets (Blagburn et al., 2009; Rust, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Tsoi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The deltamethrin was efficient reducing and even eradicating flea infestation. It is important to highlight that an efficient flea control is associated with an integrate control where hosts and environment need to be treated. Even that, know the flea life cycle and ecology (Halos et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). The association of several methods and removal of organic matter to control kids\u0026rsquo; flea infestation that presented greater efficiency, since it difficult the flea life cycle in the environment.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe entrance of feral animals in production systems should be limited to avoid \u003cem\u003eC. f. felis\u003c/em\u003e infestation. Besides, the use of integrate management strategies to prevent environment and animal infestation, since high flea burden on kids and calves can compromise the productivity of the herd.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eFunding:\u0026nbsp;not\u0026nbsp;applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests:\u003c/strong\u003e the authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCode or data availability:\u0026nbsp;not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contribution:\u0026nbsp;L.F.M.N., J.P.C., G.B., G.R.G.P., G.R.S., D.S.R, S.G.C., L.L.F.: investigation (animals and environment management and treatment). J.P.C., G.R.G.P., D.S.R, S.G.C., L.L.F.: wrote the main manuscript. D.R.S, L.L.F.: flea identification; G.R.G.P.: PCR analysis; L.L.F.: prepared figures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical Statement:\u003cem\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003eno approval of ethics committees was required to accomplish the goals of this study because it is a case report that happened in a farm.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e the authors obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the case report happened before the work is submitted.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eall authors gave explicit consent to submit\u0026nbsp;the work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgment:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ewe would like to thank the the farm employees.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBarbosa JD, Albernaz TT, Oliveira CMC et al (2011) Dermatite al\u0026eacute;rgica \u0026agrave; picada de insetos em ovinos no estado do Par\u0026aacute;. Pesqui Veterin\u0026aacute;ria Bras 31:117\u0026ndash;120. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-736X2011000200004\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1590/S0100-736X2011000200004\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBenesi FJ, Pereira DC, Cardoso de Sa CS et al (1998) Cat flea infestation in a newborn Jersey calf in Brazil.Rev Bras Parasitol Vet157\u0026ndash;160\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBitam I, Dittmar K, Parola P et al (2010) Fleas and flea-borne diseases. Int J Infect Dis 14:e667\u0026ndash;e676. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2009.11.011\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.ijid.2009.11.011\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlagburn BL, Dryden MW (2009) Biology, Treatment, and Control of Flea and Tick Infestations. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 39:1173\u0026ndash;1200. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.07.001\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.07.001\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDahm JR, Bailey JB, Kelly RF et al (2021) Risk factors associated with Ctenocephalides felis flea infestation of peri-urban goats: a neglected parasite in an under-appreciated host. Trop Anim Health Prod 53:181. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02620-7\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/s11250-021-02620-7\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ede la Fuente J, Van Den Bussche RA, Garcia-Garcia JC et al (2002) Phylogeography of New World isolates of Anaplasma marginale based on major surface protein sequences. Vet Microbiol 88:275\u0026ndash;285. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-1135(02)00122-0\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/S0378-1135(02)00122-0\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDryden MW, Broce AB, Moore WE (1993) Severe flea infestation in dairy calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc 203:1448\u0026ndash;1452\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFagbemi BO (1982) Effect of Ctenocephalides felis strongylus infestation on the performance of West African dwarf sheep and goats. Vet Q 4:92\u0026ndash;95. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.1982.9693846\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/01652176.1982.9693846\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHalos L, Beugnet F, Cardoso L et al (2014) Flea control failure? Myths and realities. Trends Parasitol 30:228\u0026ndash;233. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2014.02.007\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.pt.2014.02.007\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJones ML, Allison RW (2007) Evaluation of the Ruminant Complete Blood Cell Count. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 23:377\u0026ndash;402. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.07.002\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.07.002\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLawrence AL, Webb CE, Clark NJ et al (2019) Out-of-Africa, human-mediated dispersal of the common cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis: The hitchhiker\u0026rsquo;s guide to world domination. Int J Parasitol 49:321\u0026ndash;336. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2019.01.001\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.ijpara.2019.01.001\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLinardi PM, Santos JLC (2012) Ctenocephalides felis felis vs. Ctenocephalides canis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae): some issues in correctly identify these species. Rev Bras Parasitol Veterin\u0026aacute;ria 21:345\u0026ndash;354. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-29612012000400002\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1590/S1984-29612012000400002\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNguyen V-L, Colella V, Greco G et al (2020) Molecular detection of pathogens in ticks and fleas collected from companion dogs and cats in East and Southeast Asia. Parasit Vectors 13:420. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04288-8\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1186/s13071-020-04288-8\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNogueras MM, Pons I, Ortu\u0026ntilde;o A et al (2013) Molecular Detection of Rickettsia typhi in Cats and Fleas. PLoS ONE 8:e71386. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071386\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1371/journal.pone.0071386\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOlmeda A, Armstrong P, Rosenthal B et al (1997) A subtropical case of human babesiosis. Acta Trop 67:229\u0026ndash;234. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-706X(97)00045-4\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/S0001-706X(97)00045-4\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOrtiz BE, M\u0026uacute;rcia GN, Trujillo VV et al (2010) Case report: Pulicosis by Ctenocephalides felis felis in sheep and goats in the savannah of Bogota, Colombia.Rev Med Vet (Bogota)123\u0026ndash;135\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePawełczyk O, Asman M, Solarz K (2020) The Discovery of Zoonotic Protozoans in Fleas Parasitizing on Pets as a Potential Infection Threat. Acta Parasitol 65:817\u0026ndash;822. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.2478/s11686-020-00221-2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.2478/s11686-020-00221-2\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePereira MR, Silva GAG, Maciel AS et al (2012) Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouch\u0026eacute;, 1835) e Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini, 1887) em caprinos e ovinos no Munic\u0026iacute;pio de Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Arq Inst Biol (Sao Paulo) 79:607\u0026ndash;609. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1590/S1808-16572012000400019\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1590/S1808-16572012000400019\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePitcher DG, Saunders NA, Owen RJ (1989) Rapid extraction of bacterial genomic DNA with guanidium thiocyanate. Lett Appl Microbiol 8:151\u0026ndash;156. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-765X.1989.tb00262.x\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1111/j.1472-765X.1989.tb00262.x\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRust M (2017) The Biology and Ecology of Cat Fleas and Advancements in Their Pest Management: A Review. Insects 8:118. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.3390/insects8040118\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.3390/insects8040118\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRust MK, Dryden MW, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CAT FLEA (1997) THE BIOLOGY. Annu Rev Entomol 42:451\u0026ndash;473. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.42.1.451\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1146/annurev.ento.42.1.451\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSchriefer ME, Sacci JB, Taylor JP et al (1994) Murine Typhus: Updated Roles of Multiple Urban Components and a Second Typhuslike Rickettsia. J Med Entomol 31:681\u0026ndash;685. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1093/jmedent/31.5.681\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1093/jmedent/31.5.681\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTorina A, Blanda V, Antoci F et al (2013) A Molecular Survey of Anaplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia canis and Babesia microti in Foxes and Fleas from Sicily. Transbound Emerg Dis 60:125\u0026ndash;130. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12137\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1111/tbed.12137\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTsoi FMB, Šlapeta J, Reynolds M (2020) Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) infestation in neonatal dairy calves managed with deltamethrin pour-on in Australia. Vet Parasitol 279:109039. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109039\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.vetpar.2020.109039\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeiss DJ, Wardrop KJ, Schalm OW (2010) Schalm\u0026rsquo;s veterinary hematology, 6th edn. Wiley-Blackwell, Ames, Iowa\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"anemia, Ctenocephalides felis felis, dairy cattle, goat","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eEctoparasites in ruminants are common in tropical rearing systems and normally associated with tick and fly infestations. Although cat fleas it can occur, records of ruminant infestation by are unusual. The present study describes two different cases of flea infestation at the same farm in the Brazilian southeast region, in different periods and different species, kids and calves. In both cases, domestic feral cats and dogs infested by \u003cem\u003eCtenocephalides felis felis\u003c/em\u003e had access to the animal\u0026rsquo;s facility. Kids and calves presented high flea burden that caused dermatitis, stress, discomfort, irritation, anemia, and weight gain reduction. The packed cell volume of the calves was performed and due to history of tick fever in the farm an investigation of tick fever agents DNA in the fleas was done, to verity possible mechanical transmission through flea bite. For flea control, on both situations, the animal\u0026rsquo;s treatment with deltamethrin plus environment cleaning and spraying insecticide showed success. Four of eight calves presented anemia (packed cell volume\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;24%). The tick fever agents DNA was not diagnosed. The right parasite identification, election of methods, drugs and environment management are necessary to a satisfactory outcome and parasite control.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Cat flea infestation on ruminants: clinical evaluation, control, and tick fever agents DNA investigation","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2022-06-28 18:36:09","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-1789584/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1010418a-c390-43c1-9a41-1c2838e03d71","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 28th, 2022","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2022-07-04T09:29:35+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2022-06-28 18:36:09","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-1789584","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-1789584","identity":"rs-1789584","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"WrCJVZZCHTDjtuVLN7oU0","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}