Publications by authors named "Lindsey A Jett"
Assessing Cat Flea Microbiomes in Northern and Southern California by 16S rRNA Next-Generation Sequencing.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
September 2018
Flea-borne diseases (FBDs) impact both human and animal health worldwide. Because adult fleas are obligately hematophagous and can harbor potential pathogens, fleas act as ectoparasites of vertebrates, as well as zoonotic disease vectors. Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are important vectors of two zoonotic bacterial genera listed as priority pathogens by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID-USA): Bartonella spp.
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- Rickettsia typhi, primarily spread by rat fleas, and Rickettsia felis, associated with cat fleas, are key players in flea-borne rickettsioses affecting humans, especially in southern U.S. states like Texas and California.
- In California, most human cases arise in suburban areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties, prompting a study to evaluate Rickettsia species in cat fleas from both endemic (Los Angeles) and nonendemic (Sacramento and Contra Costa) regions.
- The study found R. felis present in flea populations from both regions, but not R. typhi, indicating a widespread presence of R. felis without a direct link to increased