Oral Flea Preventive to Control Rickettsia typhi-Infected Fleas on Reservoir Opossums, Galveston, Texas, USA, 2023-2024.

Emerg Infect Dis. June 2025;31(6):1193 - 1196.

Lucas S Blanton, Alejandro Villasante Tezanos

Abstract

Murine typhus, a fleaborne bacterial disease caused by Rickettsia typhi, has reemerged and spread in the United States. We tested spinosad, an oral flea preventive, in opossum flea reservoirs. Spinosad killed 98% of fleas infesting opossums. Oral preventives could control fleas in host species and curb murine typhus spread to humans.

Keywords

Rickettsia typhi; Texas; United States; bacteria; endemic typhus; flea-borne typhus; fleas; murine typhus; opossums; rickettsia; vector control; vector-borne infections;

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