Facts About Diseases Transmitted by FleasFleas have been known to be carriers for all types of disease. This is in part-due to their feeding habits (parasitic feeding off of hosts) which requires the intake of blood. If the host is infected with a disease, the flea is much more likely to carry said disease over to their next host. Though the rate of infection can be very very low, it is something that is completely possible. Listed below are some of the types of things that fleas can transmit from host to host. Bacteria Murine typhus is a strain of typhus that is transmitted from fleas which feed off of rats. The symptoms of this type of typhus range from headaches to vomiting, but it is a highly treatable infection. Fleas have also been found to help the spread of epidemics (i.e. the Bubonic plague) as they carry the bacteria from the animal host into the human host. Virus Myxomatosis, a virus that affects rabbits, can be carried by fleas. It causes tumorous growths on the rabbits, and it can lead to blindness. It is likely to kill the rabbits within 14 days of them contracting the disease. Though for a long time it was thought that fleas could transmit HIV between human hosts, it has since been disproven that they carry the potential to transmit the virus. Tapeworms Fleas can cause an infestation of tape worms in both their human and animal hosts. This is highly troubling because a tapeworm infection may go unnoticed for quite some time. This is why it is so important that you see a doctor if you discover flea bites n your body, just to make sure that you are not going to become ill from these bites. Protozoa Fleas are often carriers for Trypanosome protozoans as they require multiple hosts to complete their life cycle. These types of protozoa are parasitic in nature, and can cause serious illness in humans and animals alike. Certain types of this protozoa can cause what is called the sleeping sickness, which can be fatal. As mentioned in the introduction, the chance of contracting a disease from a flea is very slim in most cases. However, it is very important that you get checked out if you receive a bite from a flea. All it can take is one bite for you to becoming infected with whatever the flea has carried from its previous host. The easiest way to protect yourself from contracting something is to take preventative measures against flea infestations in your pets and your home. Protect yourself and those that you love, use preventative flea treatments on all outdoor pets.
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