Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors that increase flea infestation in cats
By Azrizal-Wahid, N et al.·Published in Tropical biomedicine·2019·University of Malaya·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Risk factors associated with flea infestation on cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that a large number of cats in Malaysia had fleas, with 71.83% of the 426 cats examined infested. Fleas can cause skin problems and transmit diseases to both cats and humans. The research showed that certain factors, like being a stray, having long hair, and being larger in size, increased the likelihood of flea infestations. Female cats were also more affected than males. Understanding these risk factors can help pet owners take better steps to prevent and manage flea infestations in their cats.
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Abstract
Fleas are the common cause of skin disorders in cats. They are well-known for transmitting various pathogens to both cats and humans. Accordingly, this study was conducted to gain insights on the risk factors associated with flea infestation on cats. Flea combing conducted on 426 cats from four distinct regions in Peninsular Malaysia revealed a relatively high rate of flea infestation on 306 cats (71.83%). A total of 651 fleas were collected, all of them were identified as Ctenocephalides felis with the total intensity of 2.13 and abundance of 1.53. The sex ratio of fleas was female-biased at 2.5:1 (♀=464, ♂=187). Statistical analysis of the data revealed that flea infestation was significantly (P<0.05) associated with several risk factors including region, age, weight, status (stray, sheltered, pet), body condition, and hair length. Higher flea prevalence was also observed in female cats (77.99%), big-sized cats (91.76%), stray cats (84.94%), cats with clean body condition (73.35%), and cats with long hairs (78.38%) as compared to their contemporaries within the same comparison variables. The high infestation of fleas in this study is indicative of cats as a flea reservoir particularly C. felis. Thus the findings of this study and the knowledge gained on the risk factors can be used to develop and improve control measures and management of flea infestations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33597453/