English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Open

Cat fleas ( Ctenocephalides felis ) are known as the primary vector and reservoir of  Rickettsia felis , the causative agent of flea‐borne spotted fever; however, field surveys regularly report molecular detection of this infectious agent from other blood‐feeding arthropods. The presence of  R. felis  in additional arthropods may be the result of chance consumption of an infectious bloodmeal, but isolation of viable rickettsiae circulating in the blood of suspected vertebrate reservoirs has not been demonstrated. Successful transmission of pathogens between actively blood‐feeding arthropods in the absence of a disseminated vertebrate infection has been verified, referred to as cofeeding transmission. Therefore, the principal route from systemically infected vertebrates to uninfected arthropods may not be applicable to the  R. felis  transmission cycle. Here, we show both intra‐ and interspecific transmission of  R. felis  between cofeeding arthropods on a vertebrate host. Analyses revealed that infected cat fleas transmitted  R. felis  to naïve cat fleas and rat fleas (  X enopsylla cheopis ) via fleabite on a nonrickettsemic vertebrate host. Also, cat fleas infected by cofeeding were infectious to newly emerged uninfected cat fleas in an artificial system. Furthermore, we utilized a stochastic model to demonstrate that cofeeding is sufficient to explain the enzootic spread of  R. felis  amongst populations of the biological vector. Our results implicate cat fleas in the spread of  R. felis  amongst different vectors, and the demonstration of cofeeding transmission of  R. felis  through a vertebrate host represents a novel transmission paradigm for insect‐borne  Rickettsia  and furthers our understanding of this emerging rickettsiosis.

Cofeeding intra‐ and interspecific transmission of an emerging insect‐borne rickettsial pathogen