J.
Med. Ent.
31 December
Vol. 3, no. 3-4: 293-298
1966
THE FLEAS (SIPHONAPTERA) OF EGYPT: DISTRmUTION AND
SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF FLEAS INFESTING DOGS
IN THE NILE VALLEY AND DELTAl
By Omar Mohamed Amin2
Fleas transmit pathogens of numerous diseases that
affect man and domestic animals. Most fleas infest
their host temporarily then pass to another of the same
kind, while others move from one to a different host
species. This mobility increases the vector potential
of fleas from host to host and from lower animals to
man.
During 1961, fleas infesting dogs in representative
ecological areas of Egypt were investigated:
(1) the
dense metropolis of Cairo city (including Giza city)
and (2) rural Egypt [(a) desert-edge
AND METHODS
A total of 667 domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) were
examined, 96% of which were common mongrels.
The following methods were used for handling of
dogs and collection of fleas.
1.
2.
A dog was put in a cloth bag then sprayed with
a DDT and pyrethrum4 aerosal bomb, removed after
1 min and combed over a white sheet. Fleas were
collected from the sheet, the dog, and from the inside
of the bag, and then placed in a vial containing 75%
alcohol and labelled. The following information was
recorded for each dog: collection no., date, locality
and description, dog no., kind, size, hair, condition
and remarks.
Dead dogs.
Dogs collected by authorities from Cairo streets
(Giza city inclusive) as a hygienic measure were examined after being killed with carbon dioxide in the
Abbassia Dog Pound.
Since CO2 was inadequate for
knockdown of fleas, dogs were sprayed with aerosol
without the bag, and flea specimens collected as des
cribed previously.
and (b) cultivated
areas in Giza (Giza city exclusive) and Faiyum Governorates, the Nile Delta, and the Southern Nile Valley
(Beni Suef to Aswan»). These flea-infested dogs commonly live in close contact with humans.
MATERIALS
Live dogs.
From Research Project MR005.09-1402.5, Bureau of
Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, Washington D.C. The opinions and assertions contained
herein are the private ones of the author and are not to be
construed as official or as reflecting the views of the
Department of the Navy or of the naval service at large.
This report is abstracted from a thesis submitted in
partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University.
Department of Medical Zoology, United States Naval
Medical Research Unit Number Three, Cairo, Egypt,
U.A.R. Present adress: Department of Zoology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281.
Sheet method.
The cloth bag method was replaced after March 1961
with a simpler and less dangerous method, though
possibly somewhat less reliable.
A white bedsheet
was put under the dog while it was sprayed and
combed.
RESULTS
I.
CAIRO
AREA
A total of 347 dogs were examined between Jan.
and Dec. 1961.
The flea index was high for C. f. felis, lower for
P. irritans, and extremely low for C. canis (Tables 1,2,
3, respectively). The sex ratio was 1<3':3.1, 1.4, 2.9~~,
respectively.
Total fleas collected, precentage regional
total, monthly mean number per dog, and range of
means per dog are presented in the tables.
Seasonal dynamics. Numbers of C. f. felis, P. irritans, and C. canis collected in urban Cairo and charted
for 1961 (Fig. 1) represent monthly means of each
3.
4.
Ctenocephalides felis strongylus was not encountered.
Insecticide aerosol pyrethrum (synergized) Pennsylvania
Engineering Co., Philadelphia 23, Pa.
Downloaded from http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on September 15, 2016
Abstract:
Five species belonging to 4 genera of fleas were
found on Egyptian dogs. They were Ctenocephalides felis
felis3 (Bouche 1835) (9,008 specimens), Pulex irritans (Linnaeus 1758) (1,090 specimens), Ctenocephalides canis (Curtis
1826) (549 specimens), Echidnophaga gallinacea ('Vestwood
1875) (29 specimens), and Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild
1903) (6 specimens). The first 3 species were the most common on dogs in all regions investigated and the only ones
collected in the dense metropolis of Cairo and Giza where
seasonal dynamics were studied.
species per dog. These differences for C. f. felis and
P. irritans, compared with changing temperature and
relative humidity, are illustrated in Figure 2.
In Cairo, C. f. felis reached peak abundance during
March, April, early May, October, and November.
Density was reduced during summer (late May-Sept.)
and winter (Dec.-Feb.).
The seasonal figures for P.
irritans closely followed those of C. f. felis (Fig. 1).
Seasonal sex ratio. The sex ratio noted for C. f.
felis, P. irritans, and C. canis fluctuated slightly
monthly. The 2 odd figures of 83.3% and 100% 5j?5j?
in the P. irritans curve (Fig. 3) are due to exceptionally
small catches in June and August of 1<3',55j?5j?
and 15j?,
respectively.
II.
Vol. 3, no. 3-4
J. Mcd. Ent.
294
RURAL EGYPT
Oct.).
Total: 157 dogs, 37 localities. Cultivated areas: 124 dogs, 29 localities (Jan., Apr., JuneOct.). Desert-edge areas: 33 dogs, 8 localities (Feb.,
July, Sept.).
NILE DELTA.
SOUTHERN
NILE
VALLEY
(BENI
SUEF
TO
1. Ctenocephalides felis felis
The flea index was high in the Nile Delta and lower
in the Southern Nile Valley. The figures for Giza
and Faiyum Governorates were the lowest and corresponded with those of Cairo area. In the first 2
regions, the collection means in cultivated areas were
higher than those in desert-edge localities. The sex
ratio was 1<3':2.3-4.05j?5j?(Table 1).
2.
Pulex irritans
Fewer specimens of this species were obtained than
of C. f. felis. The figures were relatively high in the
MEAN! DOG
l§ Clenocepholides
20
~
felis
•
Pulex irritons
~
Ctenocepholides
conis
18
16.00
16
15.29
14
t-=1
~,
~,
~i
a
~
x
12
UJ
I
o
z
10
«
UJ
..J
e03
~
8
u..
~
4
L
OBO
0..05
0
JAN
Fig. 1.
FEB
.4\
MAR
APR
~
~
~
~~
'--1
A
~
~.3
t:::1
t:::::
[~ ~
F5 ~
-
tJ
§ ~ ~
~
H
.l L8 ~ l
O,B~
0.40
~
~
3L'25
2,43
2
0.,0.4
MAY
l.llSB~S
.
0..30.000.
J:.J'I
B
§,..,....
0.2'0.,0.0. ~~~
JUL
:'US
72
0.,0.0.
SEF
OCT
NOV
DEC
Seasonal dynamics of Ctenocephalides felis felis, Pulex irritans, and Ctenocephalides canis
from dogsiin Cairo City (1961).
ASWAN).
Total 78 dogs, 24 localities. Cultivated areas: 70 dogs,
22 localities (May, Nov., Dec.). Desert-edge areas:
8 dogs, 2 localities (Dec.).
Downloaded from http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on September 15, 2016
Collections were made from various localities in
cultivated and desert-edge areas, other than Cairo and
Giza cities (Figs. 4, S).
GIZA AND FAlYUM GOVERNORATES.
Total: 8S dogs,
17 localities. Cultivated areas: 2S dogs, S localities
(Feb.-Apr.).
Desert-edge areas: 60 dogs, 12 localities
(Jan.-June,
Amin:
l!
295
Distribution and dynamics of fleas in Egypt
35
70
w
(t:
~
30
>-1
_Jw
25
~fl..
w~
20
~~
15
f-
w~
z 10
ct
w
~
30
RELATiVE HUMIDITY
TEMPERATURE
Is:
C
m
~l>
20 92
~
10 -<
5
45
40
f,.[FELIS
:c 35
~If'
30
P IRRITANS
f(/)
0
t) l1J
~,l..
;
;
20
.f W
,',
w:?:
~~ is
::<:
W
W
.'
10
/\
" •..
,. "
~
5
0
-~
'~."".
~
i
/\
\
i
••.
MAR
","'--0-..
APR
,
f
~--_
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~/
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,
FEB
JAN
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, I
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!,
25
d:
_
","
V
0_
Q
JUN
MAY
\
••_--ff'''''\
-0
AUG
JUL
~.o..
_
-o ...A
NOV
OCT
SEP
DEC
Fig. 2. Seasonal dynamics of Ctenocephalides felis and Pulex irritans from dogs in Cairo
City, compared with mean relative humidity and temperature (1961).
%
90
80
.c
,
70
u
I
\
o
E
x
\
\
\
\
\
40
..x,
;;
,,
"
___ .:t.. "
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,
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,I
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,x
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060
'"
,
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\
au
u.
B3.3
I
I
I
/
I
'x
x-
30
o---a
Ctenocephalides
x-----x
Pulex
20
10
JAN.
FEB.
MAR.
APR.
MAY
JUN.
JUL.
AUG.
SEP
felis felis
irritans
OCT
NOV.
Fig. 3. Seasonal variation in percentage of females of C. f. felis and P. irritans from
dogs in Cairo City (1961).
DEC.
J. Med. Ent.
296
29·.~'
~uOOO'
30"15'
30"30'
Vol. 3, no. 3-4
~1'15'
31".30'
~2°~0'
32"l'O'
~I'UO'
31'00'
~U'4~'
.10"~'
~O'15'
30'00'
~'CO'
Fig. 4.
~O·.5·
Flea collecting localities in the Nile Delta and Faiyum
• capitols of governorates
o towns or villages
Table 1.
~2'15'
~2'30'
Governorate .
Ctenocephalides felis felis collected from dogs (1961)
Locality
Total fleas
collected
Cairo and Giza cities
Giza and Faiyum
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Nile Delta
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Southern Nile Valley
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
2,962
781
188
593
4,254
3,774
480
1,091
1,090
1
Sex ratio
~:~
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
3.1
3.0
4.0
2.7
2.4
2.3
3.8
2.4
2.4
Nile Delta, but lower in both Giza and Faiyum Governorates and the Southern Nile Valley. The collection means were higher than those of Cairo area. In
the first 2 regions, the means in cultivated areas were
higher than those in desert-edge localities. None was
collected in the desert-edge areas of the Southern Nile
Valley. The sex ratio was l&': O.7-1.S~~ (Table 2).
3.
~2"OO'
31"45'
Ctenocephalides canis
Fewer specimens of this species were obtained than
%
Regional
total
94.2
84.6
78.2
86.9
Monthly mean
No./dog
8.5
9.2
7.2
9.9
27.1
30.4
14.5
14.0
15.6
0.1
Range of
means/dog
No. dogs
exam.
2.1-18.9
0.7-28.1
0.7-16.1
1.4-28.1
2.7-49.6
4.8-49.6
2.7-22.0
0.0-20.0
13.0-20.0
0.0-1.0
347
85
25
60
157
124
33
78
70
8
of C. f. felis or P. irritans. The figures were high in
the Nile Delta and considerably lower in Giza and
Faiyum Governorates. None was collected in the
desert-edge localities of either region or in the Southern Nile Valley. The sex ratio was l&': 2.4-4.0~~
(Table 3).
4.
Echidnophaga gallinacea
This species (2&'&,.27~~, a sex ratio of l&': 13.5~~)
was obtained from the left ear and eyebrow of a do g
Downloaded from http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on September 15, 2016
~O'~O'
Amin:
Distribution
and dynamics of fleas in Egypt
20-0- and
".
".
MEDITERRANEAN
1~ from desert-edge areas in Giza and Faiyum
Governorates and 2~~ and 10- from cultivated areas
in the Delta and the Southern Nile Valley.
SEA
DISCUSSION
aEL
K~M
I: 2.000,OQO
~o
ICO
",.
.".
Fleas are considerably less common on dogs in Upper (southern) Egypt than in the Nile Delta.
Fleas
decreased noticeably from abundant numbers in the
Delta to a few south of Luxor, where almost none was
collected. The arid climate of Upper Egypt, characterized by the extremes of high (noon) and low (night)
temperatures and low relative humidity, probably accounts for this pattern.
In the Upper and Lower Nile Valley and Delta,
C. f. felis was the dominant flea parasiting dogs in
cultivated areas, desert-edge situations and urban centers. This species tolerated a wider range of environmental conditions than the other species infesting
Egyptian dogs. The higher collection means of C.
f. felis in cultivated areas compared to those of desertedge localities of the Delta and southern Egypt (Table
1) suggests its greater adaptability to the former situation. The species was less abundant in arid Cairo
and in Giza and Faiyum Governorates where meteorological data is rather similar.
P. irritans appeared poorly adapted to survival on
Egyptian dogs except in a few areas in the Nile
Delta.
C. canis was rare or absent except in certain farms
in the middle of the Nile Delta, where a mean of
11.1 was noted (Table 3). However, its dominance
on individual dogs in certain cultivated Delta areas
characterized by relatively high humidity is demonstrated by the following data obtained on 28 January in
Aghur El Sughra, Qalyubiya Governorate:
R~OISIYA ElAHARI
OMSO
• ASWAN
ISO
200
.
"
m
KILOMETRES
200
MILES
r
,.
-
------------~------f-=-.•...•..•.
__ -.1
,,'
ZO'
".
Fig. 5. Flea collecting localities in the Southern
Valley of Egypt.
• capitols of governorates
o towns or villages
Nile
living close to chickens. They were collected in February in Abbassa, Abu Hammad, Sharqiya Governorate
(desert-edge area) and represented 0.5% of the total
number of fleas obtained from the Delta.
5.
Xenopsylla
Dog
1
2
3
cheopis
Only 6 specimens
Locality
Cairo and Giza cities
Giza and Faiyum
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Nile Delta
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Southern Nile Valley
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Total fleas
collected
148
129
63
66
650
605
45
163
163
0
C. f. felis
5
0
7
P. irritans
0
0
1
C. canis
54(91%)
34(100%)
11(58%)
E. gallinacea and X. cheopis were rare and localized.
In urban Cairo, abundance of C. f. felis fluctuated
of this species were obtained,
Table 2.
AND CONCLUSIONS
Pulex irritans collected from dogs (1961)
Sex ratio
6:~
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1:
1.4
1.5
1.5
1.4
0.9
0.9
1.5
0.7
0.7
%
Regional
total
4.7
13.9
12.0
13.0
Monthly mean
No./dog
0.4
1.5
2.5
1.1
4.1
4.8
1.4
2.0
2.3
0
Range of
means/dog
No. dogs
exam.
0.0-0.8
0.2-3.3
1.6-3.3
0.2-1.8
0.2-7.5
2.3-7.5
0.2-3.0
1.2-4.3
1.2-4.3
347
85
25
60
157
124
33
78
70
8
Downloaded from http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on September 15, 2016
I~FUc
seAL!
297
J.
298
Table 3.
Locality
Cairo and Giza cities
Giza and Faiyum
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Nile Delta
a) cult. areas
b) desert edge
Southern Nile Valley
a) cult. area.
b) desert edge
Vol. 3, no. 3-4
Ctenocephalides canis collected from dogs (1961)
Total fleas
collected
35
10
10
0
504
504
0
0
0
0
Med. Ent.
Sex ratio
% Regional
~:':f
total
1: 2.9
1: 4.0
1: 4.0
1.1
1.1
1:2.4
1: 2.4
9.3
Range of
means/dog
No. dogs
exam.
0.1
0.1
0.4
0
3.2
4.1
0
0
0
0
0.0-4.1
0.0-0.9
0.0-0.9
347
85
25
0.0-11.1
0.0-11.1
157
124
33
78
70
8
60
in urban Cairo apparently was not influenced by seasonal changes. In all collections, the sex ratio of C.
f. felis and C. canis (I&': 2.3-4.0!j?!j? and I&': 2.4-4.0!j?!j?,
respectively) were similar. This high percentage of
~~ may have been related to the greater longevity of
this sex. The smaller surface-area to mass in females
is said to render them less sensitive to climatic conditions, particularly low humidity (Pollitzer 1954). In
P. irritans, however, the ratio was 1<:3':O.7-1.5~!f.
Acknowledgments:
This study was supervised by
Dr S. E. Abul-Nasr, Professor of Economic Entomology in the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of
Agriculture, Cairo University; Dr Harry Hoogstraal,
head of the Medical Zoology Department, United
States Naval Medical Research Unit Number Three
(NAMRU-3) (who originally suggested this study); and
Dr M. M. Megahed, assistant Professor of Economic
Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University.
To each the writer expresses his deepest gratitude
for constant encouragement and valuable advice. My
thanks also to NAMRU-3 for help and facilities put at
my disposal.
REFERENCE
Pollitzer, R. 1954.
zation, Geneva.
Plague.
World Health Organi-
Downloaded from http://jme.oxfordjournals.org/ by guest on September 15, 2016
considerably monthly. It reached two periods of peak
abundance: one in spring following a temperature rise,
the other in fall following a rise in relative humidity.
In summer, the reduction followed a drop in relative
humidity; in winter, it corresponded with prevalent low
temperatures.
The seasonal pattern of P. irritans followed that of C. f. felis (Fig. 1), although its figures
were considerably lower.
Comparative seasonal data were not obtained for the
cultivated Nile Delta. Where a high relative humidity
is maintained throughout the year, high temperature
may be the most important factor in the seasonal incidence. In July, midsummer in Egypt, the monthly
mean was 49.6 C. f. felis per dog in the cultivated Nile
Delta while in urban Cairo it ranged from 0.2 to 4.0.
In Cairo, C. f. felis abundance seemed correlated
with warmer temperatures
and higher relative humidities j and that cool or hot dry weather was a deleterious factor. Intra-seasonal variations may have affected microclimate and edaphic conditions, influencing the flea population adversely or beneficially. Immature stages, to which these data do not directly
pertain, are subject to major or minor weather effects.
Climatic data were obtained from records of the
Almaza Meteorological Station serving the, Cairo area.
The sex ratio of C. f. felis, P. irritans, and C. canis
0
Monthly mean
No./dog