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A rat flea is a parasite of
rats Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus '' Rattus''. Other rat genera include ''Neotoma'' (pack rats), ''Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...
. There are at least four
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
: *
Oriental rat flea The Oriental rat flea (''Xenopsylla cheopis''), also known as the tropical rat flea or the rat flea, is a parasite of rodents, primarily of the genus '' Rattus'', and is a primary vector for bubonic plague and murine typhus. This occurs when a fle ...
(''Xenopsylla cheopis''), also known as the tropical rat flea, the primary vector for
bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium ('' Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as ...
* Northern rat flea (''Nosopsyllus fasciatus''). According to Prince, "... it too is an efficient vector of plague. It was found to be even more widely distributed than X. cheopis, occurring in 12 of the 13 States surveyed". * Xenopsylla brasiliensis, a vector of
bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium ('' Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as ...
, found in South America, Africa, and India * Leptopsylla segnis


References

{{Animal common name Insect common names Former disambiguation pages converted to set index articles