Dog flea

Dog flea
	Dog flea under the microscope
Systematics
Class :	Insects (Insecta)
Order :	Fleas (Siphonaptera)
Family :	Pulicidae
Genre :	Ctenocephalides
Type :	Dog flea
Scientific name
	Ctenocephalides canis
	( Curtis , 1826)

The dog flea ( Ctenocephalides canis ) is a parasitic insect of the order of the fleas (Siphonaptera), the main hosts of which are canines . Dog fleas rarely infest humans, and it also hardly plays a role in the transmission of diseases.

Despite this host preference , the dog flea can only be found in domestic dogs in rural areas, while the cat flea is much more common in city dogs . More occurring in dogs flea species are the human flea , the fox flea , the hen flea , the rabbit flea , the rat flea and the chigger .

features

Adult female dog fleas are between two and four millimeters long, males between two and three millimeters. Their color is brownish, they are wingless like all fleas and have a laterally flattened body with a pressure-resistant chitin armor that allows them to get between hairs - such as. B. in the fur of a dog as a host - to move. Both sexes of adult individuals suck blood from their host.

The eggs of the dog flea are 0.6 millimeters long, have an oval shape and have a milky-white sheen. The larvae are depending on the stage between one and six millimeters long, have a slim shape, are milky-yellow and have bristles, but no legs. A brown head capsule with mouthparts can be recognized by them.

Dog fleas are able to jump up to 50 cm wide (average 30.4 cm) and 25 cm high (average: 15.5 cm).

Way of life

The development cycle runs optimally in all stages at 25 ° C, i.e. close to room temperature, and at a relative humidity of 80%. Correspondingly, the reproduction is inhibited by drought or cold. In almost optimal cases, the development time averages three to five weeks, the maximum time span is around 30 weeks.

literature

Christian Epe, Monika Linek: Flea infestation and BAD in dogs and cats. In: The practical veterinarian. No. 88, Supplement 1, 2007, pp. 8-14.
Ch. Noli, F. Scarampella: Practical dermatology in dogs and cats. 2nd, unchanged edition. Schlütersche Verlagsanstalt, Hanover 2005, ISBN 3-87706-713-1 .
Thomas Schnieder (Ed.): Veterinary Parasitology. 6th, completely revised and expanded edition. Parey, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-8304-4135-5 .

Individual evidence

↑ G. Vater, A. Vater: Fleas (Siphonaptera) in the human environment. Analytic findings between 1961-1983 in the district of Leipzig (East Germany). II. Spacial and temporal distribution. In: Applied Parasitology. Vol. 26, No. 1, March 1985, pp. 27-38, PMID 4003847 .
↑ G. Dobler, M. Pfeffer: Fleas as parasites of the family Canidae. In: Parasites & vectors. Volume 18, No. 4, July 2011, p. 139, PMID 21767354 , PMC 3160944 (free full text).
↑ Norbert Mencke: Ectoparasites in dogs and cats: Parasitology and etiopathogenesis of the most important vector diseases with zoonotic character. In: Small Animal Practice. No. 57, 2012, pp. 252-276.
↑ Marie-Christine Cadiergues, Christel Joubert, Michel Franc: A Comparison of Jump Performances of the Dog Flea, Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis, 1826) and the Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche, 1835). In: Veterinary Parasitology. Volume 92, No. 3.1, October 2000, pp. 239-241. doi: 10.1016 / S0304-4017 (00) 00274-0 .

[1] G. Vater, A. Vater: Fleas (Siphonaptera) in the human environment. Analytic findings between 1961-1983 in the district of Leipzig (East Germany). II. Spacial and temporal distribution. In: Applied Parasitology. Vol. 26, No. 1, March 1985, pp. 27-38, PMID 4003847 .

[2] G. Dobler, M. Pfeffer: Fleas as parasites of the family Canidae. In: Parasites & vectors. Volume 18, No. 4, July 2011, p. 139, PMID 21767354 , PMC 3160944 (free full text).

[3] Norbert Mencke: Ectoparasites in dogs and cats: Parasitology and etiopathogenesis of the most important vector diseases with zoonotic character. In: Small Animal Practice. No. 57, 2012, pp. 252-276.

[4] Marie-Christine Cadiergues, Christel Joubert, Michel Franc: A Comparison of Jump Performances of the Dog Flea, Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis, 1826) and the Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouche, 1835). In: Veterinary Parasitology. Volume 92, No. 3.1, October 2000, pp. 239-241. doi: 10.1016 / S0304-4017 (00) 00274-0 .