Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar.
Plague is a flea-borne fatal disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which persists in rural Madagascar. Although fleas parasitizing rats are considered the primary vectors of Y. pestis, the human flea, Pulex irritans, is abundant in human habitations in Madagascar, and has been found natur...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0e3cc1286b764f04ad20fc37c61c8767 2024-09-09T19:28:09+00:00 Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. Adélaïde Miarinjara Annick Onimalala Raveloson Stephen Gilbert Mugel Nick An Andry Andriamiadanarivo Minoarisoa Esther Rajerison Rindra Vatosoa Randremanana Romain Girod Thomas Robert Gillespie 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/article/0e3cc1286b764f04ad20fc37c61c8767 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/article/0e3cc1286b764f04ad20fc37c61c8767 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 18, Iss 3, p e0012036 (2024) Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 2024-08-05T17:49:46Z Plague is a flea-borne fatal disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which persists in rural Madagascar. Although fleas parasitizing rats are considered the primary vectors of Y. pestis, the human flea, Pulex irritans, is abundant in human habitations in Madagascar, and has been found naturally infected by the plague bacterium during outbreaks. While P. irritans may therefore play a role in plague transmission if present in plague endemic areas, the factors associated with infestation and human exposure within such regions are little explored. To determine the socio-ecological risk factors associated with P. irritans infestation in rural households in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar, we used a mixed-methods approach, integrating results from P. irritans sampling, a household survey instrument, and an observational checklist. Using previously published vectorial capacity data, the minimal P. irritans index required for interhuman bubonic plague transmission was modeled to determine whether household infestations were enough to pose a plague transmission risk. Socio-ecological risk factors associated with a high P. irritans index were then identified for enrolled households using generalized linear models. Household flea abundance was also modeled using the same set of predictors. A high P. irritans index occurred in approximately one third of households and was primarily associated with having a traditional dirt floor covered with a plant fiber mat. Interventions targeting home improvement and livestock housing management may alleviate flea abundance and plague risk in rural villages experiencing high P. irritans infestation. As plague-control resources are limited in developing countries such as Madagascar, identifying the household parameters and human behaviors favoring flea abundance, such as those identified in this study, are key to developing preventive measures that can be implemented at the community level. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 18 3 e0012036 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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English |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Adélaïde Miarinjara Annick Onimalala Raveloson Stephen Gilbert Mugel Nick An Andry Andriamiadanarivo Minoarisoa Esther Rajerison Rindra Vatosoa Randremanana Romain Girod Thomas Robert Gillespie Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Plague is a flea-borne fatal disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which persists in rural Madagascar. Although fleas parasitizing rats are considered the primary vectors of Y. pestis, the human flea, Pulex irritans, is abundant in human habitations in Madagascar, and has been found naturally infected by the plague bacterium during outbreaks. While P. irritans may therefore play a role in plague transmission if present in plague endemic areas, the factors associated with infestation and human exposure within such regions are little explored. To determine the socio-ecological risk factors associated with P. irritans infestation in rural households in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar, we used a mixed-methods approach, integrating results from P. irritans sampling, a household survey instrument, and an observational checklist. Using previously published vectorial capacity data, the minimal P. irritans index required for interhuman bubonic plague transmission was modeled to determine whether household infestations were enough to pose a plague transmission risk. Socio-ecological risk factors associated with a high P. irritans index were then identified for enrolled households using generalized linear models. Household flea abundance was also modeled using the same set of predictors. A high P. irritans index occurred in approximately one third of households and was primarily associated with having a traditional dirt floor covered with a plant fiber mat. Interventions targeting home improvement and livestock housing management may alleviate flea abundance and plague risk in rural villages experiencing high P. irritans infestation. As plague-control resources are limited in developing countries such as Madagascar, identifying the household parameters and human behaviors favoring flea abundance, such as those identified in this study, are key to developing preventive measures that can be implemented at the community level. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Adélaïde Miarinjara Annick Onimalala Raveloson Stephen Gilbert Mugel Nick An Andry Andriamiadanarivo Minoarisoa Esther Rajerison Rindra Vatosoa Randremanana Romain Girod Thomas Robert Gillespie |
author_facet |
Adélaïde Miarinjara Annick Onimalala Raveloson Stephen Gilbert Mugel Nick An Andry Andriamiadanarivo Minoarisoa Esther Rajerison Rindra Vatosoa Randremanana Romain Girod Thomas Robert Gillespie |
author_sort |
Adélaïde Miarinjara |
title |
Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
title_short |
Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
title_full |
Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
title_fullStr |
Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of Madagascar. |
title_sort |
socio-ecological risk factors associated with human flea infestations of rural household in plague-endemic areas of madagascar. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/article/0e3cc1286b764f04ad20fc37c61c8767 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
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Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 18, Iss 3, p e0012036 (2024) |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 https://doaj.org/article/0e3cc1286b764f04ad20fc37c61c8767 |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0012036 |
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PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
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