Ryan asked 8 years ago
Hi there, been dealing with some fleas lately (no pets) in my apartment. Today after the getting on the bus I saw one on my hand and brushed it off, then became worried that it might attach to someone else. What’s the likelihood of a flea hitching a ride on someone on the bus and potentially to their home? Thanks!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 8 years ago
Hello Ryan,
Cat fleas (C. felis) and dog fleas (C. canis) rarely spread this way. There have been a couple studies showing that they don’t often transfer from host to host. Once the adult fleas are on a host, they stay there.
Most infestations begin outdoors, when new adults emerge from cocoons in the host’s environment. They then jump onto the new host. This occurs after flea eggs are brought into the area by roaming infested urban wildlife, such as feral cats, raccoons, or opossums.
However, since you don’t have pets, it sounds like you may be dealing with human fleas (P. irritans), which is a more rare species. Unfortunately, I know less about human fleas, as this site is focused on cats fleas (the predominant species of dogs and cats). I am not certain if human fleas can spread easily by the adults transferring from person to person.
Sorry I couldn’t provide more insight.
Adam
Ryan
replied 8 years ago Hi Adam, thanks for your response! I managed to catch one in a homemade trap, so if you have a moment, could you take a look at this pic and see if you can identify the type? http://imgur.com/JxWYbMh
I’d really appreciate it, and your site is super helpful by the way!
Adam RetzerRyan,
It’s definitely a flea. It looks like a cat flea (C. felis), because of the elongated head shape. However, I can’t be positive, because of the quality of the image. Most of the characteristics used to identify fleas species are details on the head.
It’s probably not possible to get enough details in the picture without a macro lens. However, you can identify the species yourself upon close examination with the naked eye.
Take a look at this page: http://cmr.asm.org/content/27/1/48/F8.expansion.html
The images D (C. felis) of H (P. irritans) are the ones you’ll want to focus on. On D, notice the elongated head shape, and the combs (rows of dark bristles) on the head. These are primary characteristics of cat fleas.
Ryan
replied 8 years ago It’s difficult to get a closer look, but I’m thinking they’re cat fleas. Thanks again Adam, you’ve been extremely helpful!
