Received 3 February 2009; received in revised form 2 June 2009; accepted 4 November 2009. published online 02 March 2010.
Summary
Flea-borne infections are emerging or re-emerging throughout the world, and their incidence is on the rise. Furthermore, their distribution and that of their vectors is shifting and expanding. This publication reviews general flea biology and the distribution of the flea-borne diseases of public health importance throughout the world, their principal flea vectors, and the extent of their public health burden. Such an overall review is necessary to understand the importance of this group of infections and the resources that must be allocated to their control by public health authorities to ensure their timely diagnosis and treatment.
Corresponding Editor: William Cameron, Ottawa, Canada
aUnité de Recherche en Maladies Infectieuses Tropicales Emergentes, CNRS-IRD UMR 6236, Faculté de Médecine, Université de la Méditerranée, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille Cedex 5, France
bDepartment of Biological Sciences, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
cDepartment of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA